Hi Dottie! It sounds like you are in the early phases of establishing some P&Ps about this and you are on the right track. The concerns you started to lay out are real: what kinds of safety protocols, etc. do you put into place to ensure that your staff are comfortable as well as still being able to provide compassionate care. Depending on your state, you should be sure to understand the reporting/registration requirements at a minimum.
Your goals will be to create a policy that is equitable and fair across all of your program admissions: conducting a routine screening of the Sex Offender Registry for any prospective patient/client prior to admission as part of your standard operating procedure, as well as adopting a uniform policy for whether or not your programs will admit registered sex offenders into your care, incorporating this policy into your Admissions Agreements. Additionally, you need to ensure that you protect the client's privacy as much as possible but at the same time, determining how much information is shared with the staff involved with the client's care.
Has your legal team connected with any outside firms (elder law, for example) to see if they've come across this in your state? They may have some advice as well as protocols that other clients may have deployed.
I'll keep looking for P&Ps as well!
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Rory Farrand, MS MA MSN, APRN-BC
VP Palliative & Advanced Care
National Alliance for Care at Home
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-14-2025 11:37
From: Dottie Carroll
Subject: Checking the Sexual Offender List at time of referral
We have had some early conversation re: checking the sexual offender list at the time of referral. With that comes a host of questions, processes for creating a safe visit if taken on service that is equitable for all patients across all service lines, how long ago was the offense, ethical issues, access to health care, etc.
The pros and cons and list of questions is long. We are wondering if anyone has a policy or process that you are willing to share. In addition, we would like to hear about successes or failures that you have had with implementing this process.
Thank you
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Dottie Carroll RN/MBA
Director of Compliance and Quality
Andwell Health Partners
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