Never Alone Act Passes General Assembly

Never Alone Act Passes General Assembly

COLUMBUS- The Ohio House of Representatives concurred with the Ohio Senate this week on the Never Alone Act, sponsored by State Representatives Melanie Miller (R-City of Ashland) and Beth Lear (R-Galena).

House Bill 236 passed with a unanimous vote of 89-0 in the Ohio House.  The legislation ensures every patient has access to an advocate to be with them in a hospital, nursing home, or other congregate care setting - especially during a health emergency. 

“I am grateful for the support of my colleagues in the General Assembly for their support of the Never Alone Act,” said Miller.  “We are one signature away from ensuring that we are able to protect the rights of patients to have access to a loved one or advocate to act on behalf of their best interest while in a hospital or care facility.

Specifically, the Never Alone Act:

• Requires a congregate care setting to inform a patient or resident that the patient or resident may designate an individual to serve as an advocate and to provide the patient or resident the opportunity to make a designation.
• Prohibits a congregate care setting from 1: denying a patient or resident access to an advocate and 2: prohibiting an advocate from being physically present with a patient or resident.
• Prohibits a political subdivision, public official, or state agency from issuing an order or rule, or enforcing on behalf of the federal government a federal order or rule, that would require a care setting to violate the bill’s provisions. 
• Requires the Department of Health to create a Never Alone information sheet and each congregate care setting to provide each patient or resident with a copy at the time of admission.
   

The Never Alone Act now heads to the Governor’s desk and awaits his signature.