Gov. Walz Signs Vulnerable Adult Legislation in Brooklyn Center
Minnesota will join the rest of the country in requiring licenses for assisted living facilities. The move aims to prevent the abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults.
Governor Tim Walz was in Brooklyn Center on Wednesday to sign the Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act of 2019.
“On behalf of 5.5 million Minnesotans, I want to say thank you for making our state just a little bit better today with making this piece of legislation law of the land,” said Gov. Walz as he signed the bill.
The bill allows the state to keep a closer eye on assisted living facilities. For instance, the Minnesota Department of Health will be able to impose penalties and correction orders to ensure resident safety.
The Alzheimer’s Association is one of the many stakeholders that helped craft the legislation.
“From the Alzheimer’s Association perspective, what was really important for us to ensure to be included in this is that we had strong dementia training standards, physical standards for the environment and also therapeutic programming to ensure that people living in these facilities have that appropriate care for them as they are living with this disease,” said Beth McMullen, the vice president of government affairs for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Minnesota has roughly 1,200 assisted living centers. The licensing requirement will go into effect in August of 2021.
