(a) Resident bedrooms. Each resident bedroom must meet the following requirements:
(1) The maximum room capacity must be two residents.
(2) Minimum bedroom area, excluding toilet rooms, closets, lockers, wardrobes, alcoves, or vestibules, must be 100 square feet in single occupancy rooms and 80 square feet per bed in multi-bed rooms.
(3) The minimum allowable room dimension is ten feet. The room must be designed to provide at least 36 inches between beds and 24 inches between any bed and the adjacent wall.
(4) Each room must have at least one operable outside window arranged and located so that it can be easily opened from the inside without the use of tools or keys. The maximum allowable sill height must not exceed 36 inches above the floor. All operable windows must have insect screens. The minimum area of window in each bedroom must equal at least 16 square feet or 8.0% of the gross floor area of the room, whichever is larger. Operable window sections may be restricted to not more than six nor less than four inches for security or safety reasons.
(5) Each room must have general lighting, wall-mounted bed reading lights, and night lighting. The night light must be switched just inside the entrance to each resident room with a silent type switch, must be a recessed wall mounted fixture just inside the entry door to the room and must not be obstructed by the door or furniture, unless otherwise approved by HHSC. The light providing general illumination must be switchable at the door of the resident room for use of staff and residents. A durable non-glare reading light with an opaque front panel securely anchored to the wall, integrally wired, must be provided above each resident bed. The switch for this reading light must be within reach of a resident in the bed.
(6) The minimum number of power receptacles at a resident bed location shall be determined based on the risk assessment required by NFPA 99 and §19.300(i) of this subchapter (relating to General Requirements), as follows:
(7) Each resident bedroom must have direct access to a bathroom without entering the general corridor area. The bathroom must serve no more than one resident room and must include, at least, a lavatory and toilet.
(8) Each resident must have a bed with a comfortable mattress, a bedside stand with at least two enclosed storage spaces, a dresser, and closet or wardrobe space providing privacy for clothing and personal belongings. Private clothes storage space must provide at least 22 inches of lineal hanging space per bed and have closable doors. Chairs and space must be provided for use by residents and visitors.
(9) Each room must open onto an exit corridor and must be arranged for convenient resident access to dining, living, and bathing areas. To ensure a direct view from nurses’ stations, resident room doors must not be recessed into the corridor wall more than four feet. Alcoves must meet applicable accessibility standards for a front approach to the door, and handrails must be provided in the alcove. If an alcove exceeds four feet in depth, it is a corridor and must meet all requirements for corridors, including direct view from a nurses’ station, minimum width of the corridor, and provisions for handrails.
(10) Visual privacy, such as cubicle curtains, must be available for each resident in multi-bed bedrooms. Design for privacy must not restrict resident access to the entry, lavatory, or toilet, nor may it restrict bed evacuation or obstruct sprinkler flow coverage.
(11) At least one noncombustible wastebasket must be provided in each bedroom.
(12) See the requirements in §19.361(d)(4) of this subchapter (relating to Electrical Requirements for New Facilities) for nurse call systems.
(13) Bedrooms must be identified with a raised or recessed unique number placed on or near the door. Refer to TAS for information about signs.
(14) Locks on bedroom doors are permitted when they meet definite resident needs.
(15) Vacant bedrooms must not be used for hazardous activities or hazardous storage, unless specifically approved by HHSC in writing.
(b) Nursing service areas. A nursing service area includes a nurses’ station and other areas described in this subsection and must be located in or readily available to each nursing unit. The size and disposition of each service area will depend upon the number and types of beds to be served. Each service area may be arranged and located to serve more than one nursing unit, but at least one service area must be provided on each nursing floor. The maximum allowable distance from a resident room door to a nurses' station is 150 feet. The following requirements are applicable to services areas:
(1) Nurses' stations must be provided with space for nurses' charting, doctors' charting, and storage for administrative supplies. Nurses’ stations must be located to provide a direct view of resident corridors. A nurses’ station has a direct view of a resident corridor if a person can see down the corridor from a point within 24 inches of the outside of the nurses’ station counter or wall. When a nurses’ station does not provide a direct view of a resident corridor, an auxiliary station complying with the following guidelines must be provided.
(2) Lounge and toilet room must be provided for nursing staff.
(3) Lockers or security compartments must be provided for the safekeeping of personal effects of staff. These must be located convenient to the duty station of personnel or in a central location.
(4) A clean utility room must contain a work counter, sink with high-neck faucet with lever controls, and storage facilities and must be part of a system for storage and distribution of clean and sterile supply materials.
(5) A soiled utility room must contain a water closet or equivalent flushing rim fixture, a sink large enough to submerge a bedpan with spray hose and high-neck faucet with lever controls, work counter, waste receptacle, and linen receptacle. A soiled utility room must be part of a system for collection and cleaning or disposal of soiled utensils or materials. A separate hand-washing sink must be provided if the bedpan disinfecting sink cannot normally be used for hand-washing.
(6) Provision must be made for convenient and prompt 24-hour distribution of medication to residents. The medication preparation room must be under the nursing staff's visual control and contain a work counter, refrigerator, sink with hot and cold water, and locked storage for biologicals and drugs and must have a minimum area of 50 square feet. The minimum dimension allowed is five feet six inches. An appropriate air supply must be provided to maintain adequate temperature and ventilation for safe storage of medications. For purposes of storage of unrefrigerated medications, the room temperature must be maintained between 59 degrees and 86 degrees Fahrenheit.
(7) Provision must be made for separate closets or room for clean linens. Corridors must not be used for folding or cart storage. Storage rooms must be located and distributed in the building for efficient access to bedrooms.
(8) A soiled linen rooms must meet the requirements in subsection (l)(2)(A) of this section.
(9) A nourishment station is required and must contain a sink equipped for hand-washing, equipment for serving nourishment between scheduled meals, refrigerator, and storage cabinets. Ice for residents' service and treatment must be provided only by icemaker units. This station may be furnished in a clean utility room.
(10) An equipment storage room must be provided for equipment such as intravenous stands, inhalators, air mattresses, and walkers.
(11) Parking spaces for stretchers and wheelchairs must be located out of the path of normal traffic.
(c) Residents' bathing and toilet facilities. The following requirements are applicable to bathing and toilet facilities:
(1) Bathtubs or showers must be provided at the rate of one for each 20 beds which are not otherwise served by bathing facilities within residents' rooms. At least one bathing unit must be provided in each nursing unit. Each tub or shower must be in an individual room or enclosure which provides space for the private use of the bathing fixture, for drying and dressing, including an accessible dressing bench, and for a wheelchair and an attendant. Each general-use bathing room must be provided with at least one water closet in a stall, room, or area for privacy, and one lavatory. A bathing room must be located conveniently to the bedroom area it serves and must not be more than 100 feet from the farthest bedroom.
(2) At least 50% of bathrooms and toilet rooms, fixtures, and accessories must be designed and provided to meet criteria under the Americans with Disabilities Act for individuals with disabilities, unless otherwise approved by HHSC.
(3) All rooms containing bathtubs, sitz baths, showers, and water closets, used by residents must be equipped with doors and hardware that permits access from the outside in any emergency.
(4) Bathing areas must be provided with safe and effective auxiliary or supplementary heating. Bathing areas must be free of drafts and must have adequate exhaust ducted to the outside to minimize excess moisture retention and resulting mold and mildew problems.
(5) Tubs and showers must be provided with slip-proof bottoms.
(6) Lavatories and hand-washing facilities must be securely anchored to withstand an applied downward load of not less than 250 pounds on the front of the fixtures.
(7) Provision must be made for sanitary hand drying and toothbrush storage at lavatories. There must be paper towel dispensers or separate towel racks and separate toothbrush holders.
(8) Mirrors must be arranged for convenient use by residents in wheelchairs as well as by residents in a standing position, and the minimum size must be 15 inches in width by 30 inches in height, or tilt type.
(9) Rooms with toilets must be provided with effective forced air exhaust ducted to the exterior to remove odors. Ducted manifold systems are recommended.
(10) Floors, walls, and ceilings must have nonabsorbent surfaces, be smooth, and be easily cleanable.
(d) Disposal facilities. A policy and procedure for the safe and sanitary disposal of special waste must be provided. Space and facilities must be provided for the sanitary storage of waste by incineration, mechanical destruction, compaction, containerization, removal, or by a combination of these techniques.
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