CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

                        HOUSE BILL 1743

 

 

 

 

 

 

                        55th Legislature

                      1997 Regular Session

Passed by the House March 6, 1997

  Yeas 94   Nays 0

 

 

 

Speaker of the

      House of Representatives

 

Passed by the Senate April 14, 1997

  Yeas 47   Nays 0

             CERTIFICATE

 

I, Timothy A. Martin, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 1743  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

 

President of the Senate

                          Chief Clerk

 

 

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.     

                                FILED

          

 

 

Governor of the State of Washington

                   Secretary of State

                  State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 1743

          _______________________________________________

 

             Passed Legislature - 1997 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Dyer, Cody, Kenney, Cooke and Blalock

 

Read first time 02/06/97.  Referred to Committee on Health Care.

Allowing the department of community, trade, and economic development to adopt rules to carry out the long-term care ombudsman program.   


    AN ACT Relating to the long-term care ombudsman program; amending RCW 43.190.030; and declaring an emergency.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 43.190.030 and 1995 c 399 s 105 are each amended to read as follows:

    There is created the office of the state long-term care ombudsman.  The department of community, trade, and economic development shall contract with a private nonprofit organization to provide long-term care ombudsman services as specified under, and consistent with, the federal older Americans act as amended, federal mandates, the goals of the state, and the needs of its citizens.  The department of community, trade, and economic development shall ensure that all program and staff support necessary to enable the ombudsman to effectively protect the interests of residents, patients, and clients of all long-term care facilities is provided by the nonprofit organization that contracts to provide long-term care ombudsman services.  The department of community, trade, and economic development shall adopt rules to carry out this chapter and the long-term care ombudsman provisions of the federal older Americans act, as amended, and applicable federal regulations.  The long-term care ombudsman program shall have the following powers and duties:

    (1) To provide services for coordinating the activities of long-term care ombudsmen throughout the state;

    (2) Carry out such other activities as the department of community, trade, and economic development deems appropriate;

    (3) Establish procedures consistent with RCW 43.190.110 for appropriate access by long-term care ombudsmen to long-term care facilities and patients' records, including procedures to protect the confidentiality of the records and ensure that the identity of any complainant or resident will not be disclosed without the written consent of the complainant or resident, or upon court order;

    (4) Establish a state-wide uniform reporting system to collect and analyze data relating to complaints and conditions in long-term care facilities for the purpose of identifying and resolving significant problems, with provision for submission of such data to the department of social and health services and to the federal department of health and human services, or its successor agency, on a regular basis; and

    (5) Establish procedures to assure that any files maintained by ombudsman programs shall be disclosed only at the discretion of the ombudsman having authority over the disposition of such files, except that the identity of any complainant or resident of a long-term care facility shall not be disclosed by such ombudsman unless:

    (a) Such complainant or resident, or the complainant's or resident's legal representative, consents in writing to such disclosure; or

    (b) Such disclosure is required by court order.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.

 


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