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New fire safety bill calls for federal funding

LTC Liability Monitor, August 26, 2004

Upon introducing this week the Nursing Facility Fire Safety Act of 2004, House Representative John Larson (D-CT) held a media conference call with American Health Care Association (AHCA) President/CEO Hal Daub and Chair Steve Chies to discuss the proposed legislation.

The bill would require full automatic sprinkler systems in nursing homes within five years of its enactment and would provide full funding through Medicare and Medicaid, according to AHCA's press release. Larson-who introduced the bill after a deadly nursing home fire in his district killed 16 residents in 2003-emphasized the need for government funding and encouraged facilities to write to legislators in support of the bill.

AHCA also announced that the National Fire Protection Association accepted the association's proposal to mandate sprinklers in every nursing facility under the 2006 Life Safety Code®. Whether the mandate will be enforced in nursing homes depends on CMS' adoption of t! he 2006 Code.
Click here to read AHCA's press release about the call.

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