On July 11, the Department of Community Health held a board meeting and discussed the implementation of HB 663, the No Patient Left Alone Act. In response to the COVID-19 era restrictions on visitation in hospitals and long-term care settings, the Bill affirms residents’ right to have a designated essential caregiver present to assist with their medical, health, and personal needs. However, the Bill also affirms long-term care providers, including providers of Assisted Living Communities (ALC) and Personal Care Homes (PCH), the right to set reasonable visitation rules and to enforce those rules if the conduct of a visitor presents a substantial health or safety risk or is otherwise threatening or disruptive to residents, staff, or other visitors.

For more information, please refer to the text of HB 663 and the forms below. If you have any questions, please reach out to the GSLA Affairs Team at GovernmentAffairs@gasla.org.