26B-2-303. Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program — Responsibilities.
(1)
Terms Used In Utah Code 26B-2-303
Division: means the Division of Customer Experience. See Utah Code 26B-2-301
Government agency: means any department, division, office, bureau, board, commission, authority, or any other agency or instrumentality created by the state, or to which the state is a party, or created by any county or municipality, which is responsible for the regulation, visitation, inspection, or supervision of facilities, or which provides services to patients, residents, or clients of facilities. See Utah Code 26B-2-301
Long-term care facility: means :
(i)
a skilled nursing facility;
(ii)
except as provided in Subsection (6)(b), an intermediate care facility;
Ombudsman: means the administrator of the long-term care ombudsman program, created pursuant to Section 26B-2-303. See Utah Code 26B-2-301
Ombudsman program: means the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. See Utah Code 26B-2-301
Resident: means an individual who resides in a long-term care facility. See Utah Code 26B-2-301
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(a)
There is created within the division the ombudsman program for the purpose of promoting, advocating, and ensuring the adequacy of care received and the quality of life experienced by residents of long-term care facilities within the state.
(b)
Subject to the rules made under Section 26B-6-110, the ombudsman is responsible for:
(i)
receiving and resolving complaints relating to residents of long-term care facilities;
(ii)
conducting investigations of any act, practice, policy, or procedure of a long-term care facility or government agency that the ombudsman has reason to believe affects or may affect the health, safety, welfare, or civil and human rights of a resident of a long-term care facility;
(iii)
coordinating the department’s services for residents of long-term care facilities to ensure that those services are made available to eligible citizens of the state; and
(iv)
providing training regarding the delivery and regulation of long-term care to public agencies, local ombudsman program volunteers, and operators and employees of long-term care facilities.
(2)
(a)
A long-term care facility shall display an ombudsman program information poster in a location that is readily visible to all residents, visitors, and staff members.
(b)
The division is responsible for providing the posters, which shall include phone numbers for local ombudsman programs.
Renumbered and Amended by Chapter 305, 2023 General Session
