| TO: | Honorable Jane Nelson, Chair, Senate Committee on Health & Human Services |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB1525 by Zaffirini (Relating to safe patient handling and movement practices of nurses in hospitals and nursing homes.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend Subtitle B, Title 4, Health and Safety Code, by adding Chapter 256, requiring hospitals and nursing facilities to create a committee to identify, assess and develop strategies that promote patient and nurse safety in the physical movement of patients.
The Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) indicated that currently, there are no current requirements for safety committees in any facilities regulated by DADS Regulatory Services; however, a nursing facility is required to maintain a Quality Assessment and Assurance Committee to develop and implement appropriate plans of action to correct identified quality deficiencies. DADS indicated that department survey staff would need to be trained in order to verify compliance with the requirements included in the bill. It is assumed that the department would accomplish this using existing available resources.
| Source Agencies: | 507 Board of Nurse Examiners, 539 Department of Aging and Disability Services
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| LBB Staff: | JOB, CL, KF, ML
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