News

Would Establish Standards for Licensure of Dementia Care Homes

The New Jersey Department of Health’s Certificate of Need and Healthcare Facility Licensure Program proposes to readopt with amendments the rules at N.J.A.C. 8:37, which establish standards for licensure of dementia care homes. 

Dementia care homes are heath care facilities that provide residential services to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders or other forms of dementia who do not require skilled nursing care.  There are currently 28 dementia care homes that are provisionally licensed by the Department pursuant to N.J.S.A. 26:2H-149(d).

The current regulations governing dementia care homes contain basic provisions on residents’ rights, admission and retention of residents, personal care services, pharmacy services, physical plant requirements, maintenance of resident records, and dietary requirements.  The current regulations permit a licensed health care professional employed by a dementia care home or by an outside agency to provide basic health care services that are within the scope of the professional’s license to residents of a dementia care home.

The amendments to the rules would establish the process, fees and standards for licensure of dementia care homes.  The proposed amendments would also update the facility physical plant requirements for dementia care homes to better reflect the standards that are necessary to protect the health and safety of residents.

The proposal appears in the July 3, 2017 issue of the New Jersey Register.  The public has until September 1, 2017 to comment on the proposal.

Those wishing to comment on the proposal must submit written comments either electronically by September 1, 2017 to http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/ecomments.shtml or by regular mail postmarked on or before September 1, 2017 to Joy L. Lindo, Director, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360.

LexisNexis provides free online access to the New Jersey Register at http://www.lexisnexis.com/njoal.  An unofficial copy of the proposal is also available from the Department’s website at http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules/notice-of-rule-proposals/.  

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