Hospitals
Learn more about health restrictions and tips on how to be prepared for establishing paternity at the hospital.
The Ohio Central Paternity Registry (CPR) strives to ensure that all hospitals and birthing facilities are educated on the importance of establishing paternity.
Ohio CPR distributes educational materials to hospitals on request, which can be used to promote the importance of paternity establishment. All materials can be found below.
Hospital-Based Paternity Program Statutes
3111.71 Contracts with hospitals to meet with unmarried women giving birth.
The department of job and family services shall enter into a contract with local hospitals for the provision of staff by the hospitals to meet with unmarried women who give birth in or en route to the particular hospital. On or before April 1, 1998, each hospital shall enter into a contract with the department of job and family services pursuant to this section regarding the duties imposed by this section and section 3727.17 of the Revised Code concerning paternity establishment. A hospital that fails to enter into a contract shall not receive the fee from the department for correctly signed and notarized or witnessed affidavits submitted by the hospital.
Last Updated: 10-03-2023.
3111.72 Requirements for contracts with hospitals to meet with unmarried women giving birth.
The contract between the department of job and family services and a local hospital shall require all of the following:
(A) That the hospital provide a staff person to meet with each unmarried mother who gave birth in or en route to the hospital within twenty-four hours of the birth or before the mother is released from the hospital;
(B) That the staff person attempt to meet with the father of the unmarried mother's child if possible;
(C) That the staff person explain to the unmarried mother and the father, if he is present, the benefit to the child of establishing a parent and child relationship between the father and the child and the various proper procedures for establishing a parent and child relationship;
(D) That the staff person present to the unmarried mother and, if possible, the father, the pamphlet or statement regarding the rights and responsibilities of a natural parent that is prepared and provided by the department of job and family services pursuant to section 3111.32 of the Revised Code;
(E) That the staff person provide the mother and, if possible, the father, all forms and statements necessary to voluntarily establish a parent and child relationship, including, but not limited to, the acknowledgment of paternity affidavit prepared by the department of job and family services pursuant to section 3111.31 of the Revised Code;
(F) That the staff person, at the request of both the mother and father, help the mother and father complete any form or statement necessary to establish a parent and child relationship;
(G) That the hospital provide a notary public to notarize, or witnesses to witness, an acknowledgment of paternity affidavit signed by the mother and father;
(H) That the staff person present to an unmarried mother who is not participating in the Ohio works first program established under Chapter 5107. of the Revised Code or receiving medicaid an application for Title IV-D services;
(I) That the staff person forward any completed acknowledgment of paternity, no later than ten days after it is completed, to the office of child support in the department of job and family services;
(J) That the department of job and family services pay the hospital twenty dollars for every correctly signed and notarized or witnessed acknowledgment of paternity affidavit from the hospital.
Last Updated: 10-03-2023.
3111.74 Acknowledgment conflicting with presumption of paternity.
If the hospital knows or determines that a man is presumed under section 3111.03 of the Revised Code to be the father of a child and that the presumed father is not the man who signed or is attempting to sign an acknowledgment with respect to the child, the hospital shall take no further action with regard to the acknowledgment and shall not send the acknowledgment to the office of child support.
Effective: 03-22-2001.