Bill > SB417

This bill establishes new rules for visitation in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals during communicable disease outbreaks, ensuring that certain individuals can still visit residents or patients. Specifically, it defines an "essential visitor" as someone designated by the resident or patient, or their guardian or healthcare agent, to provide support, and a "member of the clergy" as a religious official. During an outbreak, assisted living facilities and nursing homes must allow at least one essential visitor or clergy member to visit residents in situations like compassionate care, adjustment difficulties, grief, or when nearing end of life, unless specific safety concerns arise, such as the visitor being contagious, the resident being contagious with inadequate precautions, or the resident not wishing to visit. Hospitals must also allow at least one clergy member to visit patients nearing end of life, grieving, or experiencing a life-threatening condition, and at least one essential visitor for patients nearing end of life, grieving, or when deemed beneficial by a healthcare professional, with similar exceptions for safety concerns and patient wishes. The bill also includes provisions for filing complaints and grants immunity to facilities and healthcare professionals for allowing visitation under these new rules, while clarifying that these new visitation rights are exceptions to existing rules that allow facilities to deny visitation.

Government Affairs

https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2025/proposals/reg/sen/bill/sb417