Governor Kathy Hochul has signed new legislation Wednesday, requiring residential healthcare facilities to update residents as well as their family members when there is an infectious disease outbreak within a nursing home.
The law will also require nursing homes to have a plan in place so that way when an infection is learned the spread can be stopped as fast as possible.
“New Yorkers living in nursing homes deserve the highest quality of care, and their families deserve to know that their loved ones are safe. 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,” Hochul said.
The law is an improvement on an already existing pandemic emergency plan that will require better and more communication between nursing homes, residents and their families.
