Bill > SB1263

This bill amends the Nursing Home Care Act and the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013 to establish and protect the rights of residents in nursing homes and mental health rehabilitation facilities. Specifically, the bill ensures that residents have the right to outdoor access and the freedom to enter and leave their facility as they choose. The legislation allows facilities to temporarily suspend this right only under very specific circumstances: if the resident's physician determines that leaving would pose a danger to other residents or an immediate and substantial danger to the resident's own safety and well-being. When such a restriction is imposed, the physician must explain the reasons to the resident and document the rationale in the resident's medical chart. This bill aims to protect the autonomy and dignity of residents in long-term care facilities by ensuring they maintain basic freedoms while also providing a mechanism for facilities to address legitimate safety concerns. The changes reinforce existing protections for residents' human and civil rights, emphasizing that residents should not be deprived of their constitutional rights solely because they live in a care facility.

Health and Social Services

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=1263&GAID=18&DocTypeID=SB&SessionID=114&GA=104