SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2773
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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SENATE, June 22, 2020.
The committee on Public Health to whom was referred the petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 2657) (subject to Joint Rule 12) of James B. Eldridge, James Arciero, Steven Ultrino, Peter Capano and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to patient safety in nursing homes, reports recommending that the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2773) ought to pass.
For the committee,
Joanne M. Comerford
FILED ON: 5/21/2020
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2773
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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An Act relative to patient safety in nursing homes.
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to address critical patient safety needs in nursing homes, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
Section 72 of chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in the fourth sentence of the third paragraph, the words, “such intervals as the department shall specify in its rules and regulations” and inserting in place thereof the following:— any time.
Section 72 of chapter 111, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by adding the following paragraph:—
The department may require that employees of convalescent and nursing homes, infirmaries maintained in towns, rest homes, charitable homes for the aged and residential and intermediate care facilities for people with a developmental or intellectual disability be tested for certain diseases or have their temperature taken as a condition of reporting for work.