NRS449.0302. Board to adopt standards, qualifications and other regulations.

      1.  The Board shall adopt:

      (a) Licensing standards for each class of medical facility or facility for the dependent covered by NRS 449.030 to 449.2428, inclusive, and for programs of hospice care.

      (b) Regulations governing the licensing of such facilities and programs.

      (c) Regulations governing the procedure and standards for granting an extension of the time for which a natural person may provide certain care in his or her home without being considered a residential facility for groups pursuant to NRS 449.017. The regulations must require that such grants are effective only if made in writing.

      (d) Regulations establishing a procedure for the indemnification by the Division, from the amount of any surety bond or other obligation filed or deposited by a facility for refractive surgery pursuant to NRS 449.068 or 449.069, of a patient of the facility who has sustained any damages as a result of the bankruptcy of or any breach of contract by the facility.

      (e) Any other regulations as it deems necessary or convenient to carry out the provisions of NRS 449.030 to 449.2428, inclusive.

      2.  The Board shall adopt separate regulations governing the licensing and operation of:

      (a) Facilities for the care of adults during the day; and

      (b) Residential facilities for groups,

Ê which provide care to persons with Alzheimer’s disease.

      3.  The Board shall adopt separate regulations for:

      (a) The licensure of rural hospitals which take into consideration the unique problems of operating such a facility in a rural area.

      (b) The licensure of facilities for refractive surgery which take into consideration the unique factors of operating such a facility.

      (c) The licensure of mobile units which take into consideration the unique factors of operating a facility that is not in a fixed location.

      4.  The Board shall require that the practices and policies of each medical facility or facility for the dependent provide adequately for the protection of the health, safety and physical, moral and mental well-being of each person accommodated in the facility.

      5.  In addition to the training requirements prescribed pursuant to NRS 449.093, the Board shall establish minimum qualifications for administrators and employees of residential facilities for groups. In establishing the qualifications, the Board shall consider the related standards set by nationally recognized organizations which accredit such facilities.

      6.  The Board shall adopt separate regulations regarding the assistance which may be given pursuant to NRS 453.375 and 454.213 to an ultimate user of controlled substances or dangerous drugs by employees of residential facilities for groups. The regulations must require at least the following conditions before such assistance may be given:

      (a) The ultimate user’s physical and mental condition is stable and is following a predictable course.

      (b) The amount of the medication prescribed is at a maintenance level and does not require a daily assessment.

      (c) A written plan of care by a physician or registered nurse has been established that:

             (1) Addresses possession and assistance in the administration of the medication; and

             (2) Includes a plan, which has been prepared under the supervision of a registered nurse or licensed pharmacist, for emergency intervention if an adverse condition results.

      (d) The prescribed medication is not administered by injection or intravenously.

      (e) The employee has successfully completed training and examination approved by the Division regarding the authorized manner of assistance.

      7.  The Board shall adopt separate regulations governing the licensing and operation of residential facilities for groups which provide assisted living services. The Board shall not allow the licensing of a facility as a residential facility for groups which provides assisted living services and a residential facility for groups shall not claim that it provides “assisted living services” unless:

      (a) Before authorizing a person to move into the facility, the facility makes a full written disclosure to the person regarding what services of personalized care will be available to the person and the amount that will be charged for those services throughout the resident’s stay at the facility.

      (b) The residents of the facility reside in their own living units which:

             (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection 8, contain toilet facilities;

             (2) Contain a sleeping area or bedroom; and

             (3) Are shared with another occupant only upon consent of both occupants.

      (c) The facility provides personalized care to the residents of the facility and the general approach to operating the facility incorporates these core principles:

             (1) The facility is designed to create a residential environment that actively supports and promotes each resident’s quality of life and right to privacy;

             (2) The facility is committed to offering high-quality supportive services that are developed by the facility in collaboration with the resident to meet the resident’s individual needs;

             (3) The facility provides a variety of creative and innovative services that emphasize the particular needs of each individual resident and the resident’s personal choice of lifestyle;

             (4) The operation of the facility and its interaction with its residents supports, to the maximum extent possible, each resident’s need for autonomy and the right to make decisions regarding his or her own life;

             (5) The operation of the facility is designed to foster a social climate that allows the resident to develop and maintain personal relationships with fellow residents and with persons in the general community;

             (6) The facility is designed to minimize and is operated in a manner which minimizes the need for its residents to move out of the facility as their respective physical and mental conditions change over time; and

             (7) The facility is operated in such a manner as to foster a culture that provides a high-quality environment for the residents, their families, the staff, any volunteers and the community at large.

      8.  The Division may grant an exception from the requirement of subparagraph (1) of paragraph (b) of subsection 7 to a facility which is licensed as a residential facility for groups on or before July 1, 2005, and which is authorized to have 10 or fewer beds and was originally constructed as a single-family dwelling if the Division finds that:

      (a) Strict application of that requirement would result in economic hardship to the facility requesting the exception; and

      (b) The exception, if granted, would not:

             (1) Cause substantial detriment to the health or welfare of any resident of the facility;

             (2) Result in more than two residents sharing a toilet facility; or

             (3) Otherwise impair substantially the purpose of that requirement.

      9.  The Board shall, if it determines necessary, adopt regulations and requirements to ensure that each residential facility for groups and its staff are prepared to respond to an emergency, including, without limitation:

      (a) The adoption of plans to respond to a natural disaster and other types of emergency situations, including, without limitation, an emergency involving fire;

      (b) The adoption of plans to provide for the evacuation of a residential facility for groups in an emergency, including, without limitation, plans to ensure that nonambulatory patients may be evacuated;

      (c) Educating the residents of residential facilities for groups concerning the plans adopted pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b); and

      (d) Posting the plans or a summary of the plans adopted pursuant to paragraphs (a) and (b) in a conspicuous place in each residential facility for groups.

      10.  The regulations governing the licensing and operation of facilities for transitional living for released offenders must provide for the licensure of at least three different types of facilities, including, without limitation:

      (a) Facilities that only provide a housing and living environment;

      (b) Facilities that provide or arrange for the provision of supportive services for residents of the facility to assist the residents with reintegration into the community, in addition to providing a housing and living environment; and

      (c) Facilities that provide or arrange for the provision of alcohol and drug abuse programs, in addition to providing a housing and living environment and providing or arranging for the provision of other supportive services.

Ê The regulations must provide that if a facility was originally constructed as a single-family dwelling, the facility must not be authorized for more than eight beds.

      11.  As used in this section, “living unit” means an individual private accommodation designated for a resident within the facility.

      (Added to NRS by 1969, 946; A 1971, 934; 1973, 1281; 1985, 1738; 1987, 990; 1989, 1036, 2155, 2156; 1991, 1975; 1993, 1214; 1995, 1600; 1999, 3608; 2001, 1341; 2003, 1921; 2005, 2165, 2350, 2693; 2007, 1921; 2009, 1441; 2011, 2250)—(Substituted in revision for NRS 449.037)