PHOENIX — Gov. Katie Hobbs signed legislation Monday intended to add more protections for dementia patients receiving care at Arizona's memory care facilities.
House Bill 2764 will help close "loopholes" by boosting transparency and vetting out sketchy workers from working in Arizona's nursing care centers, officials said during Monday's signing ceremony.
The legislation sets restrictions on care facilities employing individuals who have been placed on the state's Adult Protective Services registry, which contains the names of people who have abused or neglected a vulnerable adult.
The bill additionally gives all of Arizona's nursing care institutions and home health agencies until March 2025 to verify they don't have any current employees on the APS registry.
Other elements of HB 2764 include:
- Requiring law enforcement agencies to provide relevant records to APS upon request.
- Voiding a health care institution's license if the licensee does not pay civil penalties or fees before their given due date.
- Requiring memory care services training standards to include at least eight hours of initial services training and four hours of annual continuing education.
- Requiring the Arizona Department of Health Services to approve memory care services training programs.
- Establishing a legal definition for what counts as "memory care services" in Arizona.
The passage of HB 2764 comes after a number of troubling incidents have been reported in recent years at facilities that provide treatment for vulnerable adults.
In 2022, an 88-year-old woman was found dead after she walked out of a memory care facility in the East Valley. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has recently filed a lawsuit asking the courts to take immediate control over an assisted-living facility in Mesa that's accused of "deceptive" practices.
The legislation passed through both chambers of the Arizona Legislature with bipartisan support.
State Rep. Timothy Dunn, R-District 25, helped push the bill through the Legislature and said it will bring a "positive impact" to all the residents receiving care in Arizona's memory care facilities.
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