FL Governor Chokes Back Tears, Relaxes Nursing Home Restrictions

Paul Scicchitano
·4 min read

JACKSONVILLE, FL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis choked back tears Tuesday as he announced a relaxation of visitation restrictions on nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult family-care homes, adult group homes and other long-term care facilities that were put in place in an attempt to keep the state's most vulnerable residents safe from the coronavirus.

"Many of the folks understand that they have loved ones who are in the last stage of their life," the governor told reporters at a roundtable discussion in Jacksonville. "They're not demanding a medical miracle. They're not having unrealistic expectations. They just would like to be able to say goodbye or to hug somebody."

The new rules allow visitors back into long-term care facilities under certain circumstances as long as they wear appropriate PPE and as long as the facility has been free of new resident cases of the virus over the previous 14-day period except in the case of dedicated coronavirus units (see "Visitation Rules For Long-Term Care Facilities" below).

The governor said measures taken by state officials were intended to save lives, but those measures came at a cost to residents who have been unable to see their families for months.

Mary Daniel of Jacksonville took a job as a dishwasher in a long-term care facility to be near her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer's. She served on the governor's task force that developed recommendations on how best to allow families to visit their loved ones while still keeping them safe.

"I'm absolutely thrilled. I'm going to cry myself," Daniel said, noting she planned to give two weeks notice on her dish-washing job. "That first hug and that first conversation, and rubbing their back, and holding their hand will take away the pain that we've all been suffering for these last 175 days."

Daniel said the recommendations of the task force are likely to serve as blueprints for other states that want to reopen their long-term care facilities.

"We are going to see some cases. I know that. But I also know that I want to be with my husband," Daniel said. "Everybody else out there — hundreds of thousands of care givers — want to be with their families, and to be with them. To be able to hold their hands at the end of their life is going to be a precious gift that we're grateful to have back."

The emergency order that relaxes visitation restrictions requires all visitors to wear PPE pursuant to the most recent CDC guidelines. Those not making physical contact must still wear a mask, according to state officials.

To accept general visitors, facilities must meet the following requirements, according to state officials:

  • No new facility-onset of resident COVID-19 cases within 14 days other than in a dedicated wing or unit that accepts COVID-19 cases from the community;

  • If a staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the facility must immediately cease all indoor and outdoor visitation in the event that staff person was in the facility in the 10 days prior to the positive test;

  • Sufficient staff to support management of visitors;

  • Adequate PPE for facility staff;

  • Adequate cleaning and disinfecting supplies; and

  • Adequate capacity at referral hospitals for the facility.

Every facility must continue to prohibit the entry of any individual to the facility except in the following circumstances:

  • Family members, friends and individuals visiting residents in end-of-life situations;

  • Hospice or palliative care workers caring for residents in end-of-life situations;

  • Any individual or providers giving necessary health care to a resident, provided that such individuals or providers comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for PPE, are screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 prior to entry and comply with all infection control requirements of the CDC and the facility;

  • Facility staff and residents;

  • Attorneys of record for a resident in an adult mental health and treatment facility or forensic facility for court related matters if virtual or telephonic means are unavailable;

  • Public guardians, professional guardians and their professional staff as defined in Florida Statue 744;

  • Representatives of the federal or state government seeking entry as part of their official duties;

  • Essential caregivers and compassionate care visitors; and

  • General visitors under specific criteria set forth under the emergency order.

The emergency order directs all facilities to ensure visitors are not quarantining, positive for COVID-19 or symptomatic. The emergency order also requires facilities to screen visitors, establish limits on the number of visitors allowed, schedule visitation ahead of time, clean and disinfect visiting areas between visitors and other protective measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

General visitors will need to be 18 years of age or older, wear a face mask, sign a consent form indicating they understand the facility’s visitation policies, comply with facility-provided COVID-19 testing if offered and maintain social distance of at least six feet with staff and residents.

This article originally appeared on the Sarasota Patch