About the Long-Term Care Facility Access Policy Workgroup
The goal of the Long-Term Care Facility Access Policy Workgroup (LTCFA Policy Workgroup) is to develop recommendations for policies regarding access to long-term care facilities during states of emergency, with consideration for the impact that restricted access has on the mental and physical health of residents and patients, families, and friends. The authorizing language for the Workgroup is contained in the Budget Act of 2022 (AB 178, Ting, Chapter 45, Statutes of 2022).
The Workgroup will consider recommendations for the following types of facilities:
- Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs);
- Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IDD);
- Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs); and
- Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs).
In a series of Workgroup meetings in 2023, CDA will facilitate discussion and the development of policy recommendations that take into consideration the following three concepts:
| Balance |
The concept considers the relationship between the need for public health protections versus the physical, mental health, and advocacy needs of residents, their family, friends, and long-term care ombudsman representatives and surveyors to have the ability to physically interact with one another during a public health emergency within a congregate living facility. |
| Parity |
This concept contemplates the sameness or difference of visitation requirements that a facility requires of visitors, outside professional staff, and facility staff. |
| Regionalism |
This concept acknowledges that a public health emergency will not necessarily affect all regions of California equally, and that recommendations should be cognizant of these differences, allowing for flexibilities and resisting across-the-board, one-size-fits all recommendations. |
As outlined in the Budget Act of 2022 (AB178, Ting, Chapter 45, Statutes of 2022), CDA has identified approximately 40 organizations – including the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, the State Department of Public Health, the State Department of Social Services, and stakeholders representing public health officials, long-term care facility operators and residents, and consumer advocates – to participate in the workgroup. Following the rules of the Bagley-Keene Meeting Act, all meetings will be open to the public, with appropriate notice and opportunity for public comment.