By HFT Staff

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation requiring residential healthcare facilities to update residents and their family members and guardians when an infection is detected within the facility. It also requires nursing homes to have a plan in place to accommodate exposed or infected residents to stop the spread of the infection. 

"New Yorkers living in nursing homes deserve the highest quality of care, and their families deserve to know that their loved ones are safe," Governor Hochul says. "With this legislation, we will ensure every facility is prepared to protect residents from exposure after an infection is detected, while also improving communication to make sure residents and family members are notified of the situation in a timely manner. This is a critical step to ensure nursing homes are taking the right measures to protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers." 

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Legislation will expand the existing pandemic emergency plan to improve communication by requiring nursing homes to inform residents and their loved ones of an infection. It will also require facilities to prepare a plan or procedure for accommodations for residents during an infectious disease outbreak. 

In December 2021, the governor signed a package of four pieces of legislation to support long-term care facilities and provide assistance to the system. The legislation directed the commissioner of health to implement an infection inspection audit and checklist on nursing homes, enacted a series of reforms to the state long-term care ombudsman program and related programs to increase accessibility for residents of nursing homes and residential care facilities, and established the reimagining long-term care task force to study the state of long-term care services in the state.