Guidance for Congregate Living Settings to Assist Residents Requesting Camera Placement

GUIDANCE AS OF APRIL 6, 2020

Due to concern for spread of COVID-19, current federal and state guidelines are in place that restrict visitation of all visitors and non-essential health care personnel to residents of congregate living settings.^1,2 Congregate living settings include assisted living, long-term care or skilled nursing facilities or other congregate living settings that provide direct patient care. In addition, on March 25, 2020, Governor Walz issued a stay at home order directing Minnesotans to limit movements outside of their home beyond essential needs.³ Residents of congregate living settings retain the right to place a camera in their room, per state law, and representatives of a resident who wish to help to install an electronic monitoring device have the right to access the resident’s room. This guidance is intended to assist facilities to accommodate these requests.

Requests to Place an Electronic Monitoring Device:

• Requests must comply with the Minnesota electronic monitoring law, including obtaining
  proper consent.²
• User-friendly devices which are amenable to installation by facility staff are preferred to
  minimize the need for visitors. Facilities should make their best effort to place the device for
  families who are unable.
• If the device cannot be installed by facility staff, the resident’s representative who is
  requesting access for installation must comply with the facility’s screening requirements,
  including limiting their access to their loved one’s living unit/room, performing hand
  hygiene, and using personal protective equipment (PPE), including facemasks, as directed
  by the facility.
• If the resident is experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, or the facility is
  experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, installation should either be done by facility staff or the
  resident’s representative should wait until the resident has recovered and the outbreak is
  under control as assessed by the registered nurse in charge at the facility.
• Anyone with symptoms of possible COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle
  aches, headache, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell) should not enter the facility at
  any time and an alternative representative must be found to perform the installation.
• If possible, the resident should not be present in the living unit/room while the device is
  being installed.
• If a resident or representative requests that a commercial installer be granted access to
  install a device or set up internet access, this may be considered by the facility as long as the
  installer complies with all screening requirements and restrictions as above.
  Telecommunications workers are exempt from the Governor’s stay at home order. Efforts
  should be made to bundle multiple requests so that installations may be completed in a
  single visit.

References:

1. CMS: Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in
   Nursing Homes. March 13, 2020 (PDF)
2. Minnesota Department of Health: COVID-19: Visitation Restriction Guidance for
   Residential Care Facilities in Minnesota (PDF)
3. Emergency Executive Order 20-20 Directing Minnesotans to Stay At Home. State of MN
   Executive Department (PDF)

For more information, see Electronic Monitoring Consent.