Senate Bill sb2140

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 2140

    By Senator Argenziano





    3-1204-05                                           See HB 443

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to home health services;

  3         amending s. 400.4785, F.S.; providing

  4         requirements for training staff of

  5         organizations that provide companion or

  6         homemaker services; amending s. 400.509, F.S.;

  7         exempting organizations that provide certain

  8         personal care services from licensure;

  9         requiring organizations that provide personal

10         care services to register with the Agency for

11         Health Care Administration and to maintain

12         liability insurance coverage; providing an

13         effective date.

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15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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17         Section 1.  Subsection (3) is added to section

18  400.4785, Florida Statutes, to read:

19         400.4785  Patients with Alzheimer's disease or other

20  related disorders; staff training requirements; certain

21  disclosures.--

22         (3)  An organization that provides companion services

23  or homemaker services must provide the following staff

24  training:

25         (a)  Newly hired personnel who will be providing direct

26  care to patients must complete 2 hours of training in

27  Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related disorders within 9

28  months after beginning employment with the organization. This

29  training must include, but is not limited to, an overview of

30  dementia, a demonstration of basic skills in communicating

31  with persons who have dementia, the management of problem

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 2140
    3-1204-05                                           See HB 443




 1  behaviors, information about promoting the client's

 2  independence in activities of daily living, and instruction in

 3  skills for working with families and caregivers.

 4         (b)  For certified nursing assistants, the required 2

 5  hours of training shall be part of the total hours of training

 6  required annually.

 7         (c)  The Department of Elderly Affairs, or its

 8  designee, must approve the required training. The department

 9  must consider for approval training offered in a variety of

10  formats. The department shall keep a list of current providers

11  who are approved to provide the 2-hour training. The

12  department shall adopt rules to establish standards for the

13  employees who are subject to this training, for the trainers,

14  and for the training required under this subsection.

15         (d)  Upon completing the 2-hour training, the employee

16  shall be issued a certificate dated and signed by the training

17  provider which states that the training required under this

18  subsection has been received. The certificate is evidence of

19  completion of this training, and the employee is not required

20  to repeat this training if the employee changes employment to

21  a different organization registered under s. 400.509.

22         Section 2.  Subsection (1) of section 400.509, Florida

23  Statutes, is amended, subsection (15) is renumbered as

24  subsection (16), and a new subsection (15) is added to that

25  section, to read:

26         400.509  Registration of particular service providers

27  exempt from licensure; certificate of registration; regulation

28  of registrants; liability insurance.--

29         (1)  Any organization that provides companion services

30  or homemaker services, or that provides personal care services

31  through employed certified nursing assistants under part II of

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2005                                  SB 2140
    3-1204-05                                           See HB 443




 1  chapter 464 or through employees who are trained and qualified

 2  in providing personal care as determined by the agency under

 3  s. 400.497(1), and does not provide a home health service

 4  other than assisting a patient with bathing, dressing,

 5  toileting, grooming, eating, physical transfer, and those

 6  normal daily routines the patient could perform for himself or

 7  herself if he or she was physically capable to a person is

 8  exempt from licensure under this part. However, any

 9  organization that provides companion services, or homemaker

10  services, or personal care services must register with the

11  agency.

12         (15)  Any organization that provides personal care

13  services must obtain and maintain liability insurance coverage

14  as defined in s. 624.605(1)(b) in an amount of not less than

15  $250,000 per claim and must submit proof of liability

16  insurance coverage with an initial application for

17  registration and with each annual application for registration

18  renewal.

19         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.