The Ohio House of Representatives’ Health Provider Services Committee recently held a hearing for the Never Alone Act, which, if enacted, would “ensure every patient has access to an advocate to be with them in a hospital, nursing home, or other congregate care setting.”
The bill, H.B. 236, was introduced in the Ohio House earlier this year by State Representatives Melanie Miller (R-City of Ashland) and Beth Lear (R-Galena), who cited the isolation individuals experienced from their loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic as their motivation behind the legislation.
“What happened to people during COVID must never be allowed to happen again. Our grandparents, spouses, loved ones and children should never be left alone to suffer. We cannot give up our compassion and humanity in the name of fear,” Lear previously explained.
In addition to creating a right for patients and long-term care residents to have access to an advocate of their choosing, the bill would also require care facilities to provide patients and residents with information about their rights under the legislation.
“We want to ensure that no patient is ever left alone when they are facing a vulnerable health situation,” Miller said during last week’s hearing on the bill. “Over the last three years, we have gained heightened awareness of the need for legislation that protects the right of a patient to have access to a loved one or advocate to act on behalf of their best interest while in a hospital or care facility.”
“While the need for an advocate became obvious during COVID, it remains clear that patients and residents need access to loved ones whenever they are in a vulnerable healthcare situation,” Lear added in front of the committee last week. “We simply want to ensure no one is forced to suffer or die alone ever again. We must protect our most vulnerable citizens during a healthcare crisis.”
According to Lear’s and Miller’s offices, the bill remains in the committee phase as it awaits a second hearing.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Editor’s Note: Beth Lear was a journalist with The Ohio Star from May 2019 to December 2019.
