Section 19a-NEW - [Newly enacted section not yet numbered] [Effective 10/1/2024] Client information relevant for health care worker safety(a) Each home health care agency and home health aide agency, as such terms are defined in section 19a-490 of the general statutes, except any such agency that is licensed as a hospice organization by the Department of Public Health pursuant to section 19a-122b of the general statutes, shall, during intake of a prospective client who will be receiving services from the agency, collect and provide to any employee assigned to provide services to such client, to the extent feasible and consistent with state and federal laws, information regarding: (1) The client, including, if applicable, (A) the client's history of violence toward health care workers; (B) the client's history of substance use; (C) the client's history of domestic abuse; (D) a list of the client's diagnoses, including, but not limited to, psychiatric history; (E) whether the client's diagnoses or symptoms thereof have remained stable over time; and (F) any information concerning violent acts involving the client that is contained in judicial records or any sex offender registry information concerning the client; and (2) the location where the employee will provide services, including, if known to the agency, the (A) crime rate for the municipality in which the employee will provide services, as determined by the most recent annual report concerning crime in the state issued by the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection pursuant to section 29-1c of the general statutes, (B) presence of any hazardous materials at the location, including, but not limited to, used syringes, (C) presence of firearms or other weapons at the location, (D) status of the location's fire alarm system, and (E) presence of any other safety hazards at the locations.(b) To facilitate compliance with subparagraph (A) of subdivision (2) of subsection (a) of this section, each such agency shall annually review the annual report issued by the department pursuant to section 29-1c of the general statutes to collect crime-related data regarding the locations in the state where such agency's employees provide services.(c) Notwithstanding any provision of subsection (a) or (b) of this section, no such agency shall deny the provision of services to a client solely based on (1) the inability or refusal of the client to provide the information described in subsection (a) of this section, or (2) the information collected from the client pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-NEW
Added by P.A. 24-0019,S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2024 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2024.