Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation into law April 6 that bars any healthcare facility in the state from restricting in-person visitation to patients.
SB 988, titled the "No Patient Left Alone Act," applies to hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and intermediate care facilities for the developmentally disabled.
The law states that facilities' visitation policies may not be more stringent than those established for the provider's staff and may not require visitors to submit proof of any vaccination or immunization. It also specifies that healthcare facilities must allow consensual physical contact between patients and visitors.
Under the law, patients can also designate a visitor as an essential caregiver whom providers must allow in-person visitation for at least two hours daily in addition to any other visitation authorized by the provider.
"Throughout the pandemic, the federal government has waived protections for families to visit their loved ones in hospitals and long-term care facilities. That is unacceptable," Mr. DeSantis said in a news release. "Here in Florida, we recognize that family and human connection is one of the most important aspects of physical, mental and emotional well-being, and we are ensuring Floridians are never again denied the right to see their relatives and friends while in hospitals or nursing homes."
Healthcare organizations must adopt and publicly post their visitation policy in an easily accessible format on the home page of their website by May 6, outlining hours for visitation and any health or safety procedures that visitors are subject to. Providers may suspend in-person visitation of specific visitors if they violate the provider's policies and procedures.