Stava Long-Term Care Protection Bill Becomes Law

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — Older adults in long-term care facilities and nursing homes will have enhanced protections related to transfers and discharges after a bill by state Rep. Anne Stava, D-Downers Grove, was signed into law Friday by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“People in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are some of the most vulnerable patients within the larger healthcare system,” Stava said. “When they come into conflict with those who are entrusted with their care, it’s crucial that they have advocates who can hold those caretakers accountable.”

Stava’s House Bill 1597 enhances legal protections for residents of nursing homes, long-term
care facilities and assisted living facilities by:

● Establishing notification requirements for significant changes in a resident’s condition,
● Prohibiting facilities from terminating a person’s residency if the resident’s physician or other
qualified personnel assess that it is safe for them to return,
● Requiring facilities that do initiate termination of residency procedures to notify the Illinois
Department of Public Health
● Requiring facilities to provide a listing of residents’ rights developed by the state, and
● Providing that a facility may be fined and required to submit a plan of correction if it refuses to
readmit a resident following an emergency without adequate cause.

“Protecting the most vulnerable is the mark of any ethical system,” Stava said. “Elderly, infirm
and disabled Illinoisans need and deserve high standards of care and accountability from
their caretakers.”