Nursing Unit

Section 350 Section 350.2960  Nursing Unit a)         General Requirements for Bedrooms 1)         Resident bedrooms shall have an entrance directly off a corridor with an entrance door that swings into the room. Rooms used as bedrooms and included in the licensed capacity as of December 24, 1987, which do not open directly into corridors but instead open into large living/dining/activity areas, are exempt from this rule. However, no additional such rooms will be permitted to be established after December 24, 1987. 2)         Resident bedroom shall have adequate and satisfactory artificial light and be equipped in accordance with Section 350.3040(c)(2) and (d). 3)         Resident toilet rooms shall open directly into a corridor or into a resident's bedroom.  (B) 4)         A closet or wardrobe at least six square feet shall be provided for each resident. 5)         Each bedroom floor shall be no more than three feet below the adjacent ground level. 6)         Each room used as a resident bedroom shall have at least one outside window, and a total window area to the outside equal to at least one-tenth the floor area of the room. b)         Resident Bedrooms 1)         Each single resident bedroom shall contain at least 100 square feet of usable floor area.  Each multiple resident bedroom shall contain at least 80 square feet per bed of usable floor area.   Minimum usable floor area shall be exclusive of toilet rooms, closets, lockers, wardrobes, alcoves, vestibules, or clearly definable entryways.  Those bedrooms for which facilities had waivers to this subsection (b)(1) on (and continuously since) December 24, 1987, and which have at least 90 square feet for single bedrooms and 70 square feet per bed for multi-bedrooms, are exempt from this subsection (b)(1).  Those bedrooms for which facilities had waivers to this subsection (b)(1) on (and continuously since) December 24, 1987, but which have less than 90 square feet for single bedrooms and 70 square feet per bed or multi-bedrooms, continue to be subject to waiver procedures on an annual basis. (See Section 350.320.) 2)         Maximum room capacity shall be four residents.  Beds shall be at least three feet apart and no more than three deep from an outside wall.  There shall be a minimum of ten feet between walls or a wall and any built-in furniture or storage space. c)         Special Care Room 1)         Provide a special care room for each 150 beds. 2)         Provide this room with a toilet lavatory and all other necessary facilities to meet the resident's needs and as required to care for an ill resident. 3)         This room shall be located to provide proper and efficient supervision of the resident by the nursing staff. 4)         The room may be included in the authorized maximum bed capacity for the facility.  It is permissible for the room to be occupied by a resident, not in need of special care, provided the resident is clearly informed and understands he will be immediately transferred out of the room any time of day or night, whenever the room is needed to care for a resident requiring special care. d)         Nurses' Station 1)         Provide a minimum of one nurses' station on each floor.  The station shall have direct access to a corridor, shall be located near the area it will serve, and shall be designed to provide visual control of the area. It shall be separated satisfactorily from the nurses' utility rooms.  In Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled one nurses' station serving two floors housing residents is acceptable if there are less than l5 beds on an adjacent floor which are served by the nurses' station. (B) 2)         At least one nurses' station shall have a medicine sink with hot and cold running water, a work counter, a medicine cabinet, and necessary equipment and furnishings. 3)         Provide a nurses' toilet and handwashing sink convenient to the nurses' station. e)         Bath and Toilet Rooms 1)         The maximum capacity of resident beds on each floor shall be used to determine the number of fixtures required even though some of the beds are not occupied. A)        Provide a minimum of one water closet, one lavatory, and one bathtub or shower for each sex on each floor occupied by residents. B)        Provide a minimum of one lavatory and one water closet for each ten resident beds on each floor. C)        Provide a minimum of one bathtub or shower for each 15 resident beds on each floor. D)        Each lavatory shall be provided with a well-illuminated mirror. 2)         All bath and toilet rooms shall be easily accessible, and conveniently located.  Group bath and toilet facilities shall be partitioned or curtained for privacy. 3)         All showers, other than those for residents needing assistance in bathing, shall have minimum dimensions of three feet by three feet. 4)         Shower stalls shall have a low or no curb at the entrance opening. Under certain circumstances this may be waived but in no instances can the curb be higher than three inches. 5)         If toilet rooms provided adjacent to residents' bedrooms are not large enough to permit use by wheelchair residents, at least one toilet room or enclosure measuring five feet by six feet shall be provided on each floor housing residents. Provide a lavatory usable by wheelchair residents in this room. 6)         Provide on each floor at least one bathing facility or enclosure of not less than eight feet, six inches by eight feet, six inches with an acceptable system for assistance in bathing persons with physical disabilities.  If a shower is installed instead of a bathtub, such shower shall have a minimum dimension of four feet wide by three feet six inches deep.  These showers shall have a water inlet to which is connected a flexible hose with spray or shower head attached to the end of the hose.  If desired, a conventional shower head installation may also be provided but it must be valved off from the lower water inlet.