This post has been archived and contains information that may be out of date.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued several new and updated All Facilities Letters (AFLs) for skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs).
Some of the AFLs include new requirements for SNFs that are a result of recent legislation.
- AFL 23-01 notifies SNFs of the requirement to provide prospective residents or their representative with a written notice about local long-term care ombudsman programs and specified websites prior to or at the time of admission as implemented in Assembly Bill (AB) 895.
- AFL 23-03 notifies SNFs and other facility types of the expansion of current authorization for the use of automated drug dispensing systems to include automated unit dose systems, as provided in AB 1852.
- AFL 23-04 notifies all SNFs of the chaptering of AB 1907, which extends the time between state licensing inspections from two years to 30 months.
- AFL 23-06 notifies SNFs of the requirement enacted by AB 2511 to have an alternative source of power — by Jan. 1, 2024 — for no fewer than 96 hours during any type of power outage.
- AFL 23-09 updates COVID-19 outbreak investigation and reporting thresholds for hospitals and long-term care facilities. It incorporates guidance from the Council for Outbreak Response – Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance and Council of Territorial Epidemiologists.
- AFL 23-10 provides recommendations for the prevention and control of influenza in California SNFs, which includes minor changes to align with updated infection control guidance for COVID-19.
