55:13B-6 - Standards
55:13B-6 Standards
6. The commissioner shall establish standards to ensure that every rooming and boarding house in this State is constructed and operated in such a manner as will protect the health, safety and welfare of its residents and at the same time preserve and promote a homelike atmosphere appropriate to such facilities, including, but not limited to, standards to provide for the following:
a. Safety from fire;
b. Safety from structural, mechanical, plumbing and electrical deficiencies;
c. Adequate light and ventilation;
d. Physical security;
e. Protection from harassment, fraud and eviction without due cause;
f. Clean and reasonably comfortable surroundings;
g. Adequate personal and financial services rendered in boarding houses;
h. Disclosure of owner identification information;
i. Maintenance of orderly and sufficient financial and occupancy records;
j. Referral of residents, by the operator, to social service and health agencies for needed services;
k. Assurance that no constitutional, civil or legal right will be denied solely by reason of residence in a rooming or boarding house;
l. Reasonable access for employees of public and private agencies, and reasonable access for other citizens upon receiving the consent of the resident to be visited by them;
m. Opportunity for each resident to live with as much independence, autonomy and interaction with the surrounding community as he is capable of; and
n. Assurance that the needs of residents with special needs, including, but not limited to, persons with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders or other forms of dementia, will be met in accordance with standards adopted by regulation of the commissioner, which shall be promulgated no later than 90 days after the effective date of this act, which shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) staffing levels;
(2) staff qualifications and training;
(3) special dietary needs of residents;
(4) special supervision requirements relating to the individual needs of residents;
(5) building safety requirements appropriate to the needs of residents;
(6) special health monitoring of residents by qualified, licensed health care professionals, including a requirement that a medical assessment be performed on a resident with special needs as described in this subsection, as determined necessary by the commissioner, prior to admission and on a quarterly basis thereafter to ensure that the facility is appropriate to the needs of the resident; and
(7) criteria for discharging residents which shall be set forth in the admission agreement which shall be provided to the resident or the resident's representative prior to or upon admission. The commissioner may revoke the license of any provider who violates the criteria for discharging residents.
L.1979,c.496,s.6; amended 1997, c.260, s.2.