S.F. No. 538 educates new parents, health care professionals, and child care providers on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children.

Section 1, subdivision 1, requires a hospital to make available for viewing by parents of newborns a video presentation on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children. The hospital is required to use a video obtained from the commissioner or approved by the commissioner, and the commissioner is required to provide the video at cost. The commissioner shall review other video presentations for possible approval upon the request of a hospital. The commissioner is prohibited from requiring hospitals to use videos that would require royalty payments, force hospitals to restrict viewing to comply with public viewing restrictions, or make hospitals subject to issues associated with copyrights.

Subdivision 2. The Commissioner of Health is also required to establish a protocol for health care providers to educate parents and primary caregivers about the dangers associated with shaking infants and small children. The commissioner shall request family practice physicians, pediatricians, and other pediatric health care providers to review these dangers with parents and primary caregivers of infants and young children up to age three at each well-baby visit.

Section 2 requires the Commissioner of Human Services to make available for viewing by child care providers a video presentation on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children. The video shall become part of the initial and ongoing training of licensed child care providers, and legal nonlicensed providers may participate at their option in a video presentation session offered under this section. The commissioner is required to provide the video approved by the Commissioner of Health to child care providers at cost.

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