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Bill of the Day SB22-053, Health Facility Visitation During Pandemic

Bill summary:

The bill specifies that a patient admitted to a hospital for inpatient care and a resident of a nursing care facility or assisted living residence may have at least one visitor of the patient’s or resident’s choosing during the stay or residency. A hospital, a nursing care facility, and an assisted living residence (collectively referred to as “health-care facility”) must have written policies and procedures regarding the visitation rights of patients and residents, including policies and procedures setting forth any clinically necessary or reasonable restriction or limitation that the health-care facility may need to place on patient and resident visitation rights and the reasons for the restriction or limitation.

The bill prohibits a health-care facility from adopting policies or procedures that prohibit visitation of a patient or resident if the sole reason for the prohibition is to reduce the risk of transmission of a pandemic disease, but a health-care facility may impose specified restrictions and limitations for visitors to reduce the risk of transmission of the pandemic disease.

SB22-053, Health Facility Visitation During Pandemic is sponsored by Republicans. Sponsors are Senator Jerry Sonnenberg and Representative Rod Pelton.

Interview with Steve Reiter on Health Visitation Rights

Steve Reiter’s wife Elizabeth passed away during the pandemic in 2020. due to health care visitation regulations, her husband and their sons weren’t permitted to visit her during her stay. Reiter was forced to compromise via phone calls, FaceTime, etc – which only further exacerbated her condition, as the absence of physical company caused her stress that her weakened body was in no condition to handle. She died alone over Mother’s Day weekend due to a sudden pulmonary embolism, no doubt the consequence of being kept in isolation on that meaningful day. Numerous studies indicate that isolation significantly increases mortality rates.

In response, Reiter founded the NEVER Alone Project, which seeks to raise awareness of the tragedies such as his that are wrought by health facility visitation regulations, and seek legislative & regulatory change for these practices. Reiter joins Kim in the second hour the show to share his story and to discuss SB22-053.