2021 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 63. Public Health and Safety
§63-1-1919.1. Reasonable access to residents – Emergency-preparedness plan.
A. Except as provided by Section 10-111 of Title 43A of the Oklahoma Statutes, every long-term care facility, as defined in Section 1-1945 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes, must provide reasonable access to a resident by immediate family, compassionate caregivers, other relatives of the resident, essential support persons, and the Oklahoma Long-Term Care Ombudsman subject to the resident's or, if they are incapacitated, their legally appointed representative's right to deny or withdraw consent at any time. Compassionate caregivers may be family members, friends, volunteers, or other individuals identified by a resident, the resident's family, or facility staff, who assist residents with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, and eating, or who provide emotional, mental, or spiritual support to residents.
B. Every long-term care facility must provide reasonable access to a resident by health care providers who are contracted with the facility to provide such care, subject to the resident's right to deny or withdraw consent at any time.
C. Long-term care facilities shall include and submit to the State Department of Health in their emergency-preparedness plan procedures for visitation during an emergency. The visitation plan shall be made available by the facility to contracted health care providers, family members, essential support persons, and compassionate caregivers upon request. Visitation and access described in subsections A and B of this section may be subject to reasonable clinical and safety restrictions as ordered by the State Department of Health or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
D. No long-term care facility shall unilaterally eliminate visitation for any reason; however, a facility may temporarily suspend visitation for a period not to exceed seventy-two (72) hours based upon the emergency-preparedness plan provided to the State Department of Health.
Added by Laws 2021, c. 252, § 1, emerg. eff. April 27, 2021.
