(a) (1) In the event of a declared emergency related to a communicable disease, a skilled nursing facility, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 1250, shall report communicable disease data in a format and schedule as required by the State Department of Public Health.

(2) The communicable disease data reported pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to, information about each disease-related death and suspected disease-related death, which shall be reported to the State Department of Public Health within 24 hours of the death.

(3) The State Department of Public Health shall make the total number of disease-related deaths and suspected disease-related deaths reported pursuant to this section and the location at which they occurred, in a manner that protects patients’ medical privacy, available on its internet website on a weekly basis.

(b) During a declared emergency related to a communicable disease, a skilled nursing facility shall notify residents and their representatives and family members about cases of the communicable disease in compliance with state and federal privacy laws, as instructed by the department.

(c) Notwithstanding any other law, the department may, without taking any regulatory actions pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, implement, interpret, or make specific this section by means of an All Facilities Letter (AFL) or similar instruction.

(Added by Stats. 2020, Ch. 287, Sec. 2. (AB 2644) Effective January 1, 2021.)