Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, of late best known for doing battle with Disney over the Parental Rights in Education Bill, returned ever so briefly to the subject that first gained him national notoriety.
DeSantis – who became a hero to conservatives and opponents of perceived government overreach for his flouting of national calls for mask requirements, lockdowns, and vaccine mandates – put pen to paper and created a new law that will force Florida healthcare facilities to allow patients to be visited by loved ones.
“Throughout the pandemic, the federal government has waived protections for families to visit their loved ones in hospitals and long-term care facilities,” DeSantis said in a statement. “That is unacceptable. 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.”
According to the governor’s office, all Florida hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and intermediate care facilities have until May 6 to adopt and publicly post a visitation policy. Under the new law, facilities cannot require visitors to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Understanding firsthand the emotional toll of caring for my father during the pandemic, this bill is a necessity not only for patients, but also family members that desperately want to play an active and in-person role in their loved ones’ care,” Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez said in a statement.
Senate Bill 988, deemed the “No Patient Left Alone Act,” stipulates that, barring an objection from the patient, all healthcare facilities must allow in-person visitation when a patient faces an end-of-life situation, is struggling mentally or emotionally due to being away from family, faces a major medical decision, is grieving or distressed over the loss of a loved one, requires encouragement to eat or drink, or has grown silent or detached.
Additionally, the bill requires visitation following childbirth and for pediatric patients.
SB 988 also requires healthcare facilities to grant at least two hours of visitation daily to whomever the patient designates as an essential caregiver.
“The No Patient Left Alone Act is about protecting human dignity and compassion,” State Sen. Ileana Garcia said in a statement. “It makes clear that in Florida, at a person’s greatest hour of need, there will be a loved one by their side. During the pandemic I heard from so many families who were heartbroken and frustrated because they could not be with a relative who was hospitalized. We all know of people who sadly died alone, unable to feel the warmth of a loved one’s touch or a final goodbye. That is unacceptable, and this law makes certain that will never happen again.”
No Patient Left Alone Act Signed into Law https://t.co/YkbwEPf37s
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) April 6, 2022
According to First Coast News, a Florida Broadcast company, SB 988 was created when lawmakers learned of a woman from Jacksonville, Florida, who had taken a job as a dishwasher in order to gain access to a hospital at which her husband of 26 years was and remains an Alzheimer’s patient.