SB1211: Intermediate Care Facilities; Licensure closes the loophole that allowed privately run intermediate Care Facility Hacienda HealthCare to operate without a state license—thus state inspection—for over twenty years.
Now, all intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities are to be licensed as health care facilities and be certified under federal code.
While there is still more work to do to ensure that people with disabilities are safe in the facilities that are meant to be providing them care, Ability360 considers the passing of SB1211 another victory for the disability community, following Governor Doug Ducey’s Executive Order in February 2019.
Now with all intermediate care facilities subject to state licensure requirements, Arizona is waiting for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS), and the Department of Economic Security (DES) in conjunction with advocates and other stakeholders to submit a report to the Governor’s Office by November 1, 2019 that includes additional steps and recommendations to improve care for people with disabilities.