Policy Text
Field Services Page 1 of 4 05/02 (REV 1/04)
Medical Intake Test Station
The purpose of this order is to outline the pur pose and use of the medical intake test
station at the Sheriff's correctional facilities.
I. General
There are medical intake test s tations located at the Main Jail and at the Rio
Cosumnes Correctional Center. Bot h stations are staffed by reg istered nurses
on a 24 hour basis and are used for:
A. Medical screening of arrestees at intake.
B. Chemical testing (23612 CVC-im plied consent for chemical tes ting).
C. Physical body cavity searches.
D. Evidence gathering for suspects.
II. Medical Intake Process
A. Complete the top portion o f the Medical Screening form and t he
Tuberculosis form to include only the arrestee’s personal infor mation. The
nurse will complete the section t hat refers specifically to the arrestee’s
medical history.
B. Escort the arrestee to the m edical intake area and stand by with the
arrestee and the nurse duri ng the screening process.
C. A trained registered nurse at i ntake will evaluate all arres tees. Any
arrestee deemed not medically fit fo r incarceration will be the arresting
officers’ responsibility.
D. Arresting officers will rece ive an un-fit for incarceration form which outlines
the medical problem to pass on to the appropriate hospital pers onnel for
treatment.
E. The arrestee may not be book ed until he/she has been medical ly cleared
by a hospital physician. The Ma in Jail registered nurses will review the
hospital documentation and re -evaluate the arrestee.
Field Services Page 2 of 4 05/02 (REV 1/04)
III. Emergency First Aid
A. The nursing staff in accordanc e to correctional health servi ce department
regulations does not provide em ergency first aid for Sheriff's Department
personnel.
1. If an officer needs medical ca re they need to go to an emerg ency
room.
2. The Main Jail/RCCC nursing st aff no longer conducts “baselin e”
testing for field patrol offi cers exposed to bodily fluids.
IV. Chemical Testing (23612 CVC - Implied Consent For Chemical Testing)
A. Breath Tests – Intoxilyzer ma chines analyze breath samples f or alcohol.
The machines are to be operated by trained and certified person nel.
1. Main Jail – Intoxilyzer mach ines are no longer located in th e
medical intake area. They are located in a separate room.
2. RCCC – Intoxilyzer machines a re no longer available for use at
RCCC. A machine is available at t he Elk Grove Police Department .
B. Urine Tests - Alcohol and/or d rug urine samples are to be co llected by
trained personnel of the same sex as the arrestee.
1. In accordance with the California Vehicl e Code, the person t ested
must be given such privacy in t he taking of the urine specimen as
will ensure the accuracy of the specimen and, at the same time,
maintain the dignity of the individual involved.
C. Blood Tests - Alcohol and/or d rugs blood samples are to be c ollected by
trained nurses and booked into e vidence by an officer.
1. Consensual Blood Draws – If an arrestee consents to a blood draw,
it may be performed by a Main Ja il registered nurse. Current
correctional health services poli cy forbids the taking of blood from
an arrestee by nurses in the m edical intake test station withou t
consent of the arrestee.
2. Non-Consensual Blood Draws – If an arrestee refuses to have
his/her blood drawn in accordanc e with the law, a non-consensua l
blood draw is to be performed by a phlebotomist. (Refer to non -
consensual blood draw policy for further information.)
Field Services Page 3 of 4 05/02 (REV 1/04) 3. RCCC nurses do not conduct blood draws for evidentiary purpo ses.
A phlebotomist is available a t RCCC only on a limited basis.
Therefore, all blood draws shoul d be done at the Main Jail unle ss
the inmate is housed at RCCC or other arrangements are made
with RCCC staff.
D. Evidence Lockers are available in the medical intake station at the Main
Jail for the booking of urine/blood evidence boxes.
V. Physical Body Cavity Searches
A physical body cavity search is a physical intrusion into a bo dy cavity for the
purpose of discovering any obj ect concealed in the body cavity. The body cavity
includes the stomach, vagina, mout h, nasal passages, ear canals , and rectal
cavity.
A. A search warrant issued by a m agistrate is required for a ph ysical body
cavity search on any person arre sted whether it is a felony, mi sdemeanor,
or infraction offense.
B. Physical body cavity searc hes will only be conducted by lice nsed medical
staff in a place of privacy and in a medically approved manner. The
procedure will be conduct ed in the medical in take area examinat ion room.
1. Physical body cavity searches of the stomach (i.e., stomach pumps
and induced vomiting) will not be done at the Main Jail. Any t ime
an arrestee is believed to have ingested life-threatening quant ities