(210 ILCS 45/3-202) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 4153-202)

Sec. 3-202. The Department shall prescribe minimum standards for facilities. These standards shall regulate:

(1) Location and construction of the facility, including plumbing, heating, lighting, ventilation, and other physical conditions which shall ensure the health, safety, and comfort of residents and their protection from fire hazard;

(2) Number and qualifications of all personnel, including management and nursing personnel, having responsibility for any part of the care given to residents; specifically, the Department shall establish staffing ratios for facilities which shall specify the number of staff hours per resident of care that are needed for professional nursing care for various types of facilities or areas within facilities;

(3) All sanitary conditions within the facility and its surroundings, including water supply, sewage disposal, food handling, and general hygiene, which shall ensure the health and comfort of residents;

(4) Diet related to the needs of each resident based on good nutritional practice and on recommendations which may be made by the physicians attending the resident;

(5) Equipment essential to the health and welfare of the residents;

(6) A program of habilitation and rehabilitation for those residents who would benefit from such programs;

(7) A program for adequate maintenance of physical plant and equipment;

(8) Adequate accommodations, staff and services for the number and types of residents for whom the facility is licensed to care, including standards for temperature and relative humidity within comfort zones determined by the Department based upon a combination of air temperature, relative humidity and air movement. Such standards shall also require facility plans that provide for health and comfort of residents at medical risk as determined by the attending physician whenever the temperature and relative humidity are outside such comfort zones established by the Department. The standards must include a requirement that areas of a nursing home used by residents of the nursing home be air conditioned and heated by means of operable air-conditioning and heating equipment. The areas subject to this air-conditioning and heating requirement include, without limitation, bedrooms or common areas such as sitting rooms, activity rooms, living rooms, community rooms, and dining rooms. No later than July 1, 2008, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly concerning the impact of the changes made by this amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly;

(9) Development of evacuation and other appropriate safety plans for use during weather, health, fire, physical plant, environmental and national defense emergencies; and

(10) Maintenance of minimum financial or other resources necessary to meet the standards established under this Section, and to operate and conduct the facility in accordance with this Act.

(Source: P.A. 95-31, eff. 8-9-07.)