Mayberry: “No Patient Left Alone” act now state law
During the most recent Saline County Legislative Breakfast, state Rep. Julie Mayberry shared her joy that the act she sponsored, the “No Patient Left Alone Act,” has now been signed into law.
“(Thursday), it was announced that our governor signed a bill that I spoke to you about just two weeks ago and I’m so grateful that he has,” Mayberry said. “It is now Act 311 and it is ‘No Patient Left Alone.’”
Patients who are hospitalized are now guaranteed visitation rights with enacting of the new law.
Due to COVID-19, many patients across the state and country were forced to suffer alone without support while dealing with COVID-19. Those restrictions also meant that those hospitalized for other conditions were also denied support from loved ones, with some women forced to give birth with only medical personnel in some areas. According to Mayberry, the restrictions also went as far as to bar support from loved ones in long-term care facilities and even in hospice.
“It was truly a group effort in getting this bill to where it is today,” Mayberry said.
Mayberry previously said that the act was her “number one bill” during the current legislative session and that she had put all her energy behind it.
“I truly believe this is the worst human experiment in social isolation,” Mayberry said during the March 5 breakfast meeting. “The unintended consequences of trying to keep people safe from this virus has also made our healthcare fall apart. I truly believe that a lot of health care is also mental healthcare and I wonder how many people have died from COVID or something else because they just gave up.”
Mayberry said that HB1061 is very personal for her as her own household experienced this over the past year.
“I’ve seen this from a patient’s perspective, from a spouse’s perspective and also from a parent’s perspective,” Mayberry said.
Mayberry said she has had an unbelievably positive response both from fellow legislators and constituents. When the bill was brought before the committee on Feb. 2, Mayberry and other legislators were able to hear stories from those passionate about the bill.
Mayberry cautioned that the bill does not take things back to a “pre-covid” state. While the law guarantees that hospitalized or long-term care patients the right to have a loved one with them, it does not mean unlimited visitors who may come and go as they please.
“I hope that I’ve never given
that impression,” Mayberry said. “I have already been told that people are running into problems because they think that’s what (the law) means. That’s not what this means. This is a minimum threshold and we hope that as we have more people vaccinated and our number of COVID cases go down that we will get closer to what that was back in February of 2020.”
Mayberry also asked for patience as the news spreads about the guaranteed visitation. She also cited situations since the pandemic began where medical personnel had been physically attacked by family members of patients who were demanding to see their loved ones but were denied due to the restrictions.
“We want you to get in to see your loved one, but just because this passed (Thursday), it does go into effect immediately, but that does not necessarily mean that word got down to every single hospital and every single nursing home and all the employees and everything,” Mayberry said.
Mayberry added that if someone believes they have the legal right to be with a loved one and are being denied, try first reaching out to the facility or contacting the Arkansas Department of Health.
She also shared the story of a young lady who had recently been hospitalized for a sudden illness and her mother was not allowed to be with her on Wednesday morning.
“The governor signed the bill (on Thursday),” Mayberry said. “In the morning, mom was not allowed to be in the hospital with her, but by (Thursday) evening I got a picture showing her and her 19-year-old daughter…just be patient with them.”
More stories from Friday’s Legislative Breakfast will be featured in upcoming editions of The