Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 19, September 20, 2024
A. A
licensee shall develop and adopt written policies and procedures for ensuring:
(1) That each individual's health and safety
needs, as identified in the individual plan (IP), are being met;
(2) Fundamental rights in accordance with
Health-General Article, §7-1002, Annotated Code of Maryland;
(3) That services are provided in a manner
which promotes individual choice and the exercise of individual
rights;
(4) Confidentiality for
each individual in accordance with Health-General Article, §7-1010,
Annotated Code of Maryland;
(5) The
implementation of a grievance process with safeguards which protect against
retaliatory actions for the filing of any grievance;
(6) That services are provided without
discrimination;
(7) That all
incidents, including those involving life-threatening conditions, are reported
and investigated in accordance with the Administration's procedures on
reportable incidents;
(8) That
medications are administered in accordance with the practices established by
the Administration's curriculum on medication training;
(9) Compliance with COMAR 10.27.11;
(10) That an individual whose behavior
requires intervention receives the safeguards required by this
regulation;
(11) That in order for
an individual to be required to pay for property damage caused by the
individual's actions, the individual's IP shall show evidence that the:
(a) Individual has a history of destructive
behavior that has been documented in the behavior plan (BP),
(b) Individual has a BP that addresses the
destructive behavior,
(c)
Individual has the ability to pay for damages,
(d) Licensee's standing committee, as
described in Regulation .08 of this chapter, has reviewed and approved the
damage payment, and
(e) Licensee
has reported this approval to the regional director;
(12) Compliance with Health-General Article,
§5-605, Annotated Code of Maryland;
(13) That there is no financial or personal
conflict of interest for members of the governing body, staff, care providers,
volunteers, and standing committee members;
(14) That the fiscal affairs of the licensee
are conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting
practices;
(15) That there is
adequate protection for the finances and property of each individual,
including:
(a) A system to ensure that each
individual's funds are used in an appropriate manner consistent with the
individual's needs and preferences,
(b) A system to keep personal funds separate
from the funds of the licensee and to ensure that funds are transferred to the
individual in a timely manner when services are no longer being
provided,
(c) Timely access for the
individual to the funds,
(d) An
accounting of the individual's funds, on request, and
(e) The accrual of any interest into the
individual's account from an interest-bearing account;
(16) That State and federally required safety
precautions, infection control, and standard precautions are
implemented;
(17) That an effective
disaster and emergency evacuation plan, with sufficient evacuation drills is in
place;
(18) That an individual may
not perform the duties of a paid staff person; and
(19) That an individual only perform those
duties and tasks that are shared by the household or included as an activity
documented in the individual's IP or remunerated as part of a training program
as required by federal or State law.
B. A licensed community residential service
provider offering services in alternative living units or group homes shall
develop an emergency plan for all types of emergencies and disasters that shall
include:
(1) Procedures that will be followed
before, during, and after an emergency to address the following:
(a) The evacuation, transportation, or 72
hour shelter-in-place of individuals and staff served;
(b) Holding an annual practice drill
coordinated with local emergency planners for sheltering in place or
evacuating;
(c) Preparing an after
action report and improvement plan after drills that evaluates the plan and
takes corrective actions;
(d)
Ensuring that individuals served and staff have identification with current
health, contact, and other important information that is immediately accessible
in the event of evacuation;
(e) The
role of the resident, family member, or legal representative in the event of
evacuation;
(f) Arranging for
medical needs and other accommodations for individuals served and staff at
alternative facilities or shelters; and
(g) Establishing a communication protocol
among all appropriate parties that includes redundant communication
means;
(2) The
notification to families, staff, and the respective DDA regional office
(licensing authority) regarding the action that will be taken concerning the
safety and well-being of the individuals served;
(3) The staff coverage, organization, and
assignment of responsibilities that includes:
(a) Planning staff coverage needs for ongoing
shelter in place or evacuations;
(b) Identifying staff members available to
report for work or remain during extended periods; and
(c) Establishing staff notification and
recall contingency plans and procedures;
(4) The continuity of operations, including,
but not limited to, redundant communications systems, preservation of records
and electronic data, the procurement of essential goods, equipment, and
services, plans to secure vacated facilities, and the relocation to alternate
facilities;
(5) Procedures to:
(a) Backup and electronically store off-site,
appropriate records and data of consumers and staff and facility documents, for
access under emergency conditions;
(b) Ensure access to an electronic copy of
the emergency plans when requested by local, State, or federal emergency
management organizations;
(6) Provisions to ensure that the facility's
emergency and disaster plans are shared with local emergency management
organizations for the purpose of coordinating local emergency planning;
and
(7) An executive summary of the
evacuation procedures that shall be provided to the family member of a resident
on request.
C. The
licensee shall ensure that all staff, care providers, consultants, and
volunteers are aware of the policies required by this chapter and that all
staff, care providers, consultants, and volunteers implement each policy as
adopted.
D. The licensee shall
ensure that it provides sufficient information about its grievance process to
each individual it serves and, when appropriate, to the individual's proponent,
to enable the individual or proponent to use the process effectively.