Sec. 248.002. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:

(1) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of state health services.

(2) "Department" means the Department of State Health Services.

(2-a) "Executive commissioner" means the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.

(3) "Medical care" means care that is:

(A) required for improving life span and quality of life, for comfort, for prevention and treatment of illness, and for maintenance of bodily and mental function;

(B) under the continued supervision of a physician; and

(C) provided by a registered nurse or licensed vocational nurse available to carry out a physician's plan of care for a resident.

(4) "Nursing care" means services provided by nursing personnel as prescribed by a physician, including services to:

(A) promote and maintain health;

(B) prevent illness and disability;

(C) manage health care during acute and chronic phases of illness;

(D) provide guidance and counseling of individuals and families; and

(E) provide referrals to physicians, other health care providers, and community resources when appropriate.

(5) "Person" means an individual, organization, establishment, or association of any kind.

(6) "Resident" means an individual accepted for care in a special care facility.

(7) "Services" means the provision of medical or nursing care, assistance, or treatment by special care facility personnel, volunteers, or other qualified individuals, agencies, or staff of an organization or other entity to meet a resident's medical, nursing, social, spiritual, and emotional needs.

(8) "Special care facility" means an institution or establishment that provides a continuum of nursing or medical care or services primarily to persons with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or other terminal illnesses. The term includes a special residential care facility.

(9) "Bereavement services" has the meaning assigned by Section 142.001.

(10) "Palliative care" has the meaning assigned by Section 142.001.

(11) "Support services" has the meaning assigned by Section 142.001.

(12) "Residential AIDS hospice" means a facility licensed and designated as a residential AIDS hospice under this chapter.

(13) "Residential AIDS hospice care" means hospice services provided in a residential AIDS hospice.

(14) "AIDS" means acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 14, Sec. 115, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 800, Sec. 30, eff. Sept. 1, 1993.

Amended by:

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.0727, eff. April 2, 2015.