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AL HB151
Bill
Status
3/21/2023
Primary Sponsor
Debbie Wood
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AI Summary
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Establishes the Harold Sachs and Ann Roberts Act requiring health care facilities to adopt visitation policies within 30 days, allowing patients to visit with any individual of their choosing during facility visiting hours.
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Permits patients to designate an essential caregiver who receives at least two hours of daily visitation rights, with appointment authority passing to guardians, power of attorney holders, or family members if the patient is incapacitated.
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Prohibits facilities from requiring vaccination proof, prohibiting consensual physical contact between visitors and patients, or implementing safety policies more stringent than those for staff members.
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Mandates visitation access during end-of-life situations, childbirth, pediatric care, major medical decisions, emotional distress, adjustment issues, and eating or drinking difficulties, unless the patient objects.
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Requires facilities to submit visitation policies to the Alabama Department of Public Health during licensure applications and renewal, and requires the Department to create a website page explaining requirements and accepting complaints; repeals emergency visitation restrictions from sections 22-21-430 through 22-21-436.
Legislative Description
Relating to health care facilities; to add Section 22-21-437 to the Code of Alabama 1975; to require health care facilities to adopt certain visitation policies; to provide that patients have a right to certain visitation; to allow patients to designate an essential caregiver and to guarantee that caregiver certain visitation rights; to prohibit a health care facility from adopting a visitation policy that is more stringent than certain employee policies; to prohibit a health care facility from requiring visitors to show proof of vaccination or from prohibiting consensual physical contact between visitors and patients; to provide for the circumstances in which patients may not be denied visitors who are not essential caregivers; to require health care facilities to provide visitation policies to the Department of Public Health; to require the Department of Public Health to develop a mechanism for complaints; to provide certain immunity from liability in certain circumstances; and to repeal Sections 22-21-430 through 22-21-436, Code of Alabama 1975, relating to hospital visitation during a public health emergency.
Last Action
Introduced and Referred to House Health
3/21/2023