Nursing Homes, Other Long-Term Care Facilities Could See Changes

Long-term care facilities could be required to cap residential rooms at two people and meet minimum staffing requirements under changes the state is seeking.

The Department of Public Health detailed the regulations at a Public Health Council meeting Wednesday morning, according to the State House News Service.

The proposed changes come after the coronavirus ripped through nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, rest homes and other long-term facilities. More than two-thirds of the state's 9,413 deaths related to the virus have come from such places, according to Tuesday's coronavirus report.

"The goal of this initiative is to hold facilities to higher standards of care in infection care," DPH Director of Policy and Health Communications Marita Callahan said.

Long-term care facilities would have until Jan. 31, 2022 to turn residential rooms into single- or double-occupancy rooms, cutting the maximum capacity in half.

Nursing homes would also need to provide at least 3.58 hours of care per resident per day, some of which must involve a registered nurse.

There will be a public hearing preceding any final changes.

Material from the State House News Service was used in this report