Julie Griffith, Mabel Porter & David Griffith |
The
measure, backers say, will help prevent abuse or neglect and aid
investigations into misconduct at long-term care facilities.
And
cameras will also simply allow families a window into their relatives’
care — a greater need after nursing homes banned indoor visitations in
March to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, said Marjorie Moore,
executive director of VOYCE, a Creve Coeur-based nonprofit that pushed
the legislation with support from AARP and the Missouri Coalition for
Quality Care.
“With
COVID-19 shutting long-term care communities down for nearly four
months, some longer, this is more than necessary,” Moore said.
Residents’
mental and physical health were negatively affected when they no longer
could visit with family and friends or socialize with other residents,
according to VOYCE. Many families in the St. Louis area have also
complained of difficulty getting information about loved ones living
inside facilities where the virus has spread, including Cyndi Niehoff, who
called to check up on her mother at Frontier Health &
Rehabilitation March 29 only to learn she had died after testing
positive for COVID-19 two days earlier.
Nursing homes nationwide have been
particularly hard hit by the virus, which is dangerous to older adults
and people with preexisting medical conditions.
COVID-19
has killed at least 305 residents and three employees at about 80
federally licensed nursing homes across Missouri and has infected more
than 1,245 other residents. Dozens of other types of residential care
facilities have also been affected, according to the Missouri Department
of Health and Senior Services.
“It’s an important bill for this time,” said Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Oakville, who sponsored the legislation
Parson signed Tuesday. “It gives our citizens the opportunity to look
in on their loved ones and protect them from abuse and just see what is
going on.”
The
Missouri Health Care Association, the state’s chief nursing home
industry group, had lobbied against the video camera measure in past
years, citing concerns any footage could be released out of context and
violate residents’ and employees’ privacy.
The association reached a compromise this year
with backers of the bill to prohibit footage from being released
without permission from both the resident or the resident’s family and
the nursing home operator, Murphy said. The law makes an exception for
officials investigating abuse or neglect.
Legislation that would allow cameras in nursing homes also gained traction in other states this year after visitation bans at nursing homes renewed interest in the subject. About a dozen states already have laws or regulations in place allowing residents and their families to install video cameras in nursing home rooms.
Legislation that would allow cameras in nursing homes also gained traction in other states this year after visitation bans at nursing homes renewed interest in the subject. About a dozen states already have laws or regulations in place allowing residents and their families to install video cameras in nursing home rooms.
Full Article & Source:
Missouri to allow nursing home residents and families to install video cameras in rooms
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