(1) In circumstances in which limitations must be placed on resident visitation due to a public health emergency or other threat to the health and safety of the residents and staff of a facility or nursing home, residents must still be allowed access to an essential support person, subject to reasonable limitations on such access tailored to protecting the health and safety of essential support persons, residents, and staff.

(2) The facility or nursing home must allow private, in-person access to the resident by the essential support person in the resident's room. If the resident resides in a shared room, and the roommate, or the roommate's resident representative, if any, does not consent or the visit cannot be conducted safely in a shared room, then the facility or nursing home shall designate a substitute location in the facility or nursing home for the resident and essential support person to visit.

(3) The facility or nursing home shall develop and implement reasonable conditions on access by an essential support person tailored to protecting the health and safety of the essential support person, residents, and staff, based upon the particular public health emergency or other health or safety threat.

(4) The facility or nursing home may temporarily suspend an individual's designation as an essential support person for failure to comply with these requirements or reasonable conditions developed and implemented by the facility or nursing home that are tailored to protecting that health and safety of the essential support person, residents, and staff, based upon the particular public health emergency or other health or safety threat. Unless immediate action is necessary to prevent an imminent and serious threat to the health or safety of residents or staff, the facility or nursing home shall attempt to resolve the concerns with the essential support person and the resident prior to temporarily suspending the individual's designation as an essential support person. The suspension shall last no longer than 48 hours during which time the facility or nursing home must contact the department for guidance and must provide the essential support person:

(a) Information regarding the steps the essential support person must take to resume the visits, such as agreeing to comply with reasonable conditions tailored to protecting the health and safety of the essential support person, residents, and staff, based upon the particular public health emergency or other health or safety threat;

(b) The contact information for the long-term care ombuds program; and

(c) As appropriate, the contact information for the developmental disabilities ombuds, the agency responsible for the protection and advocacy system for individuals with developmental disabilities, and the agency responsible for the protection and advocacy system for individuals with mental illness.

(5) For the purposes of this section, "essential support person" means an individual who is:

(a) At least 18 years of age;

(b) Designated by the resident, or by the resident's representative, if the resident is determined to be incapacitated or otherwise legally incapacitated; and

(c) Necessary for the resident's emotional, mental, or physical well-being during situations that include, but are not limited to, circumstances involving compassionate care or end-of-life care, circumstances where visitation from a familiar person will assist with important continuity of care or the reduction of confusion and anxiety for residents with cognitive impairments, or other circumstances where the presence of an essential support person will prevent or reduce significant emotional distress to the resident.

Findings—2021 c 159: See note following RCW 18.20.520.