Long-term care residents will be able to go home with family over the holidays - a directive made clear in new guidance from the Agency for Health Care Administration.
What You Need To Know
- ACHA oversees long-term care facilities statewide
- Some facilities have been pushing back on Gov. DeSantis order
- BELOW: Read the full ACHA document
- More Long Term Health Care stories by Cait McVey
AHCA oversees long-term care facilities statewide and released the clarification amid reports of facilities still pushing back on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s latest visitation order.
The agency now explicitly states residents are permitted to leave their facility when they wish and can even visit with loved ones overnight.
Spectrum Bay News 9 spoke with Mary Daniel, a member of the governor’s long-term care task force and advocate for families. She called the new guidance a step forward but also warned that it shouldn’t be taken for granted and that families need to abide by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
“I’ve said to people it’s not going to be the same. It’s just not,” Daniel said. “We’re going to have to do smaller gatherings, we’re going to have to wear masks. We’re going to have to do those things just to be certain that we’re not making a mistake.”
Daniel advises families to familiarize themselves with the new guidance and continue to contact AHCA if they have any issues.