Section 151:27 Abuse of Facility Patients.
I. A facility licensee, administrator, or employee shall not willfully physically or mentally abuse, mistreat, or harmfully neglect or deprive a patient.
II. The attorney general shall be responsible for the investigation and prosecution of patient abuse or neglect in any health care facility, whether licensed or unlicensed.
III. Any person who violates the provisions of paragraph I of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor for the first offense or guilty of a class B felony if serious bodily injury results. For a subsequent offense, a natural person shall be guilty of a class B felony or guilty of a class A felony if serious bodily injury results, or guilty of a felony if any other person.
IV. Any facility licensee or administrator who shall evict, harass, dismiss, or retaliate against a patient, a patient's personal representative, or an employee, as a consequence of such person's filing of a report under this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Source. 1981, 453:1. 1983, 274:10. 1987, 207:4, eff. July 1, 1987.