The Long-Term Care, Health, Safety, and Security Act of 1973 generally requires the State Department of Public Health to license, inspect, and regulate long-term health care facilities, defined to include a skilled nursing facility. Existing regulations require a skilled nursing facility to have emergency planning, including an emergency lighting and power system. Under existing law, the department is required to enforce the requirements of the act and regulations promulgated under the act through citations and civil penalties.
This bill would require a skilled nursing facility to have a backup power system that maintains a safe temperature, as defined, within the skilled nursing facility and power to all critical systems to resident health and safety for no less than 96 hours during any type of power outage. The bill would also require a backup power system to have the ability to be refueled after 96 hours if a power outage is still in effect.