Amendment SSA2-SB257

SB257-SSA2,4,7 (4) Complaints. An individual may file a complaint with the department against an assisted living facility or a nursing home for failure to comply with this section.

SB257-SSA2,4,11 (5) Immunity. A health care professional, assisted living facility, nursing home, or employee, agent, or contractor of an assisted living facility or nursing home is immune from any civil or criminal liability for any act or omission while allowing visitation pursuant to sub. (3) (a).

SB257-SSA2,2 Section 2 . 50.373 of the statutes is created to read:

SB257-SSA2,4,14 50.373 Visitation by essential visitor or clergy during a communicable disease outbreak. (1) Definitions. In this section:

SB257-SSA2,4,15 (a) “Essential visitor” means any of the following:

SB257-SSA2,4,18 1. An individual to visit and provide support to a patient in a hospital who is designated by the patient or the patient's guardian or agent under an activated power of attorney for health care.

SB257-SSA2,4,20 2. The guardian of a patient in a hospital or the agent under an activated power of attorney for health care of a patient in a hospital.

SB257-SSA2,4,21 (b) “Hospital” has the meaning given in s. 50.33 (2).

SB257-SSA2,4,22 (c) “Member of the clergy” has the meaning given in s. 765.002 (1).

SB257-SSA2,4,25 (2) Applicability. At any time a hospital limits visitors due to an outbreak or epidemic of communicable disease in the community in which the hospital is located, the hospital shall conform its visitation policy to this section.

SB257-SSA2,5,2 (3) Hospital visitation during a communicable disease outbreak. (a) A hospital shall allow the following visitations, except as provided in pars. (b) and (c):

SB257-SSA2,5,4 1. At least one member of the clergy may visit a patient to pray with the patient or offer spiritual support for the patient in any of the following situations:

SB257-SSA2,5,5 a. The patient is nearing end of life.

SB257-SSA2,5,7 b. The patient is grieving the recent death of a friend or family member and has requested spiritual support.

SB257-SSA2,5,9 c. The patient is experiencing a life-threatening condition identified in the hospital's visitation policy and has requested spiritual support.

SB257-SSA2,5,11 2. At least one essential visitor may visit a patient in any of the following situations:

SB257-SSA2,5,12 a. The patient is nearing end of life.

SB257-SSA2,5,13 b. The patient is grieving the recent death of a friend or family member.

SB257-SSA2,5,17 c. In the judgment of the attending health care professional, as defined in s. 154.01 (1r), the benefits of the presence of the essential visitor outweighs the potential negative impacts that the essential visitor's presence might have on other patients, visitors, and staff in the hospital.

SB257-SSA2,5,19 (b) A hospital may deny visitation with a patient to a member of the clergy or an essential visitor if any of the following applies:

SB257-SSA2,5,22 1. The member of the clergy or essential visitor refuses to comply with any policies of the hospital that are in place to protect the health and safety of the member of the clergy or essential visitor, other visitors, patients, and staff in the hospital.

SB257-SSA2,6,2 2. It is unknown if the member of the clergy or essential visitor is contagious with a communicable disease that poses a substantial risk to others and adequate precautions are not available to reasonably prevent the member of the clergy or essential visitor from infecting others at the hospital.

SB257-SSA2,6,6 3. The patient is known or suspected to be contagious with a communicable disease that poses a substantial risk to others and adequate precautions are not available to reasonably prevent the member of the clergy or essential visitor from becoming infected by the patient.

SB257-SSA2,6,8 4. The patient has expressed that the patient does not wish to visit with the member of the clergy or essential visitor.

SB257-SSA2,6,11 5. The hospital's policy requires the patient, or the patient's guardian or agent under an activated power of attorney for health care, to consent to the visitation and that consent has not been given.

SB257-SSA2,6,13 6. The patient is in the custody of a law enforcement officer and the law enforcement officer refuses to allow access to the patient for the visitation.

SB257-SSA2,6,17 (c) If the federal centers for disease control and prevention or the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services issues guidance that is more restrictive in allowing visitation than par. (a), a hospital may comply with that guidance instead of complying with par. (a).

SB257-SSA2,6,19 (4) Complaints. An individual may file a complaint with the department against a hospital for failure to comply with this section.

SB257-SSA2,6,22 (5) Immunity. A health care professional, hospital, or employee, agent, or contractor of a hospital is immune from any civil or criminal liability for any act or omission while allowing visitation pursuant to sub. (3) (a).

SB257-SSA2,3 Section 3 . 146.95 (2) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB257-SSA2,7,3 146.95 (2) (b) (intro.) Subject to s. 51.61 for a treatment facility, and except as provided in ss. 50.083 and 50.373, an inpatient health care facility may deny visitation with a patient to any person if any of the following applies:

SB257-SSA2,7,4 (End)