Newsom signs ultrasound chaperone bill into law after Los Banos sex assault claims 

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law that would require healthcare facilities to offer a chaperone to patients receiving ultrasounds in sensitive areas. 

The new law comes in reaction to dozens of women’s claims of abuse at the hands of a Los Banos ultrasound tech.

“Regardless if we’re a Democrat or Republican, we want to protect patients and make sure that they receive the best care possible,” bill sponsor Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria said. 

Soria is celebrating the signing of A.B. 849 into law by Governor Newsom. The new law will go into effect Jan. 1, and she says it will go a long way in protecting patients at hospitals across the state. 

“You don’t expect to go and receive care and at the same time get abused. And so that’s what we’re trying to send a message that that type of behavior we will not tolerate,” Soria added. 

Soria represents much of the North Valley, including Los Banos, where between the years of 2020 and 2022, dozens of women came forward with allegations of abuse against Henry Nweke, an ultrasound tech at Sutter Health’s Los Banos Memorial Hospital.

The women said they were sexually abused and assaulted while getting ultrasounds from Nweke. Many of the women said they either did not have a chaperone in the room with them at the time they said the abuse happened, or that their chaperone wasn’t trained on what signs to look out for. Some even said their chaperones were on their cell phones. 

“I think this is a nice victory to buoy them, to give them some strength going into November,” Attorney Amanda Whitten said who has been representing the women in their civil suit. 

The criminal trial against Nweke is set for November, after months of delays. Whitten said her clients are in awe that the bill was signed, but that they’re emotional heading into the criminal trial.  

“We have no doubt that 12 reasonable people in Merced County will see right through what this man has to say. But, you know, it’s still just having to relive this trauma over and over again. And I think, unfortunately, that’s what our system is. And that in order for a sexual assault victim to be heard, they don’t just have to stand up and tell their story once, they have to do it over and over again,” Whitten added. 

She wants all patients to know the rights they now have when the new law goes into effect at the start of this year. 

“Stand up for yourself and ask to have somebody in the room with you, even if everything seems fine,” Whitten said. 

Still, Soria and Whitten would like to see another bill signed into law, A.B. 848. It’s a companion bill that would give judges more discretion to hand down tougher penalties in cases involving sexual abuse between patients and providers in health care settings. Soria said the governor has just five more days to act. 

“We need to make adjustments to the law so that it actually, you know, make sure that we are dissuading people from committing these types of crimes,” Soria said. 

YourCentralValley.com reached out to Sutter Health for their reaction to the new law, but have not heard back from them.

Soria said they worked with healthcare facilities and clinics to figure out what was feasible when crafting the legislation. She said they especially wanted to make sure this wasn’t a barrier for struggling hospitals. 

“We provided enough flexibility so that the hospitals and the other health care facilities are able to implement. At the end of the day, though, I believe that all of us agree that there should be no reason why we shouldn’t be protecting every single patient that walks through any health care facility,” Soria said.