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Virginia Administrative Code
Title 12. Health
Agency 5. Department of Health
Chapter 371. Regulations for the Licensure of Nursing Facilities
11/9/2026

12VAC5-371-190. Safety and emergency procedures.

A. A written emergency preparedness plan shall be developed, reviewed, and implemented when needed. The plan shall address responses to natural disasters, as well as fire or other emergency that disrupts the normal course of operations. The plan shall address provisions for relocating residents and also address staff responsibilities for:

1. Alerting emergency personnel and sounding alarms;

2. Implementing evacuation procedures including the evacuation of residents with special needs;

3. Using, maintaining, and operating emergency equipment;

4. Accessing resident emergency medical information; and

5. Utilizing community support services.

B. All staff shall participate in periodic emergency preparedness training.

C. Staff shall have documented knowledge of, and be prepared to implement, the emergency preparedness plan in the event of an emergency.

D. At least one telephone shall be available in each area to which residents are admitted and additional telephones or extensions as are necessary to ensure availability in case of need.

E. In the event of a disaster, fire, emergency, or any other condition that may jeopardize the health, safety, and well-being of residents, the nursing facility shall notify the OLC of the conditions and status of the residents and the physical plant as soon as possible.

F. The nursing facility shall have a policy on smoking.

G. Each nursing facility and certified nursing facility shall have and maintain an automated external defibrillator, as defined in § 32.1-111.1 of the Code of Virginia, and have staff trained to use such automated external defibrillator.

Statutory Authority

§§ 32.1-12 and 32.1-127 of the Code of Virginia.

Historical Notes

Derived from Virginia Register Volume 13, Issue 17, eff. July 1, 1997; amended, Virginia Register Volume 23, Issue 10, eff. March 1, 2007; Volume 37, Issue 17, eff. May 27, 2021; Volume 43, Issue 4, eff. November 4, 2026.

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