Regulations to promote communication, religious and recreational activities for residents of long-term care facilities; access to funds

Section 72EE. (a) The department shall promulgate regulations to encourage and enable residents of a long-term care facility to engage in in-person, face-to-face, verbal or auditory-based contact, communications and religious and recreational activities with others to the extent that in-person contact, communication or activities are not prohibited, restricted or limited by federal or state statute, rule or regulation. Said regulations shall include specific protocols and procedures to provide for residents of the facility who have disabilities that impede their ability to communicate, including, but not limited to, residents who are blind, deaf, have Alzheimer's disease or other dementias and developmental disabilities. (b) The department may distribute federal civil monetary penalty funds, subject to approval by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and any other available federal and state funds, upon request, to facilities for communicative technologies and accessories pursuant to this section.