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Texas approves limited visitation for patients at nursing homes and long-term care centers

by MyBonhamTexas
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After five months without visitation, family members can now visit their loved ones in nursing homes and long-term care centers on a limited basis, which was approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on Thursday.

“Today’s announcement is a critical first step for every person in a long-term care facility and their loved ones,” said Rep. James Frank (HD-69), Chair, Texas House Committee on Human Services. “This decision underscores that state leaders recognize the need to balance the emotional and physical health impacts of isolation against the serious dangers that COVID poses to these vulnerable Texans.”

The approval from the commission is conditional. Limited visitation rules apply as long as there is no physical contact and that the facility has been free from COVID-19 infections for at least 14 days.”

In addition to these guidelines, the new state rules on visitation came during the same week a group of families petitioned the state to make changes for senior citizen patients in extended-care facilities.

The new rules, as published by the Texas HHSC, are below.

Nursing Facilities

  • For the health and safety of facility residents and staff, public visitation is limited to outdoor visits only. Physical contact between residents and visitors is not permitted. Additional conditions a facility must meet to conduct limited outdoor visitation include:
  • No confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in staff in the last 14 days.
  • No active positive cases in residents.
  • Any facility previously experiencing an outbreak that has fully recovered must be adequately staffed and following adequate infection control procedures.
  • Facility staff are being tested for COVID-19 weekly.
  • Further guidance on limited nursing facility visitation rules, which include window visits and vehicle parades, will be posted on the HHSC COVID-19 provider web page.

Long-Term Care Facilities (except Nursing Facilities)

  • Limited indoor and outdoor visitation procedures are allowed. Physical contact between residents and visitors is not permitted. Additional conditions a facility must meet to conduct limited visitation include:
  • No confirmed COVID-19 positive staff in last 14 days.
  • No active positive cases in residents.
  • Adequate staffing to facilitate visitation in compliance with infection control requirements.
  • Use of plexiglass as a safety barrier for indoor visitation to prevent spread of COVID-19.
  • Further guidance on limited indoor and outdoor visitation rules will be posted on the HHSC COVID-19 provider web page.

The HHSC is also issuing enhanced emergency rules requiring additional actions by nursing facilities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Emergency Rule Enhancements

  • Enhanced emergency rules for nursing facilities include:
  • Each facility must have a COVID-19 response plan that includes designated staff to work with cohorts of residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, and staff should not change designation from one day to another, unless required to maintain adequate staffing for a cohort.
  • All nursing facilities must screen all residents, staff, and people who come to the facility in accordance with specified criteria, and each resident must be screened at least three times a day for signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Each facility must have plans for obtaining and maintaining a two-week supply of personal protective equipment and resident recovery plans for continuing care when a resident recovers from COVID-19.

The full emergency rules will be posted on the HHSC COVID-19 provider web page.

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