37.106.2161    PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

(1) The facility must not:

(a) house any client of a grossly different age, developmental level, and social need in close physical or social proximity unless the housing is planned to promote the growth and development of all those housed together; or

(b) segregate the client solely on the basis of their physical disabilities. It must integrate the client who has ambulation deficits or who is deaf, blind, or has a seizure disorder, etc., with others of comparable social and intellectual development.

(2) Bedrooms must:

(a) be rooms that have at least one outside wall;

(b) be equipped with or located near toilet and bathing facilities;

(c) accommodate no more than four clients;

(d) measure at least 80 square feet per client in multiple client bedrooms and at least 100 square feet in single client bedrooms; and

(e) have walls that extend from floor to ceiling.

(3) If a bedroom is below ground level, it must have a window that is:

(a) usable as a second means of escape by the client occupying the room; and

(b) no more than 44 inches (measured to the window sill) above the floor unless the facility is surveyed under the health care occupancy chapter of the Life Safety Code ( LSC ) , 2000 edition, in which case the window must be no more than 36 inches (measured to the window sill) above the floor.

(4) The facility must provide each client with:

(a) a separate bed of proper size and height for the convenience of the client;

(b) a clean, comfortable mattress;

(c) bedding appropriate to the weather and climate; and

(d) functional furniture and individual closet space in the client's bedroom with clothes racks and shelves accessible to the client and appropriate to the client's needs.

(5) The facility must provide:

(a) space and equipment for daily out-of-bed activity for each client who is not yet mobile, except those who have a short-term illness or any client for whom out-of-bed activity is a threat to health and safety; and

(b) suitable storage space, accessible to the client, for personal possessions, such as TVs, radios, prosthetic equipment and clothing.

(6) The facility must:

(a) provide toilet and bathing facilities appropriate in number, size and design to meet the needs of the client;

(b) provide for individual privacy in toilets, bathtubs and showers; and

(c) in areas of the facility where the client who has not been trained to regulate water temperature and is exposed to hot water, ensure that the temperature of the water does not exceed 110 � F.

(7) Each client bedroom in the facility must have:

(a) at least one window to the outside; and

(b) direct outside ventilation by means of windows, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation.

(8) The facility must:

(a) maintain the temperature and humidity within a normal comfort range by heating, air conditioning or other means; and

(b) ensure that the heating apparatus does not constitute a burn or smoke hazard to the client.

(9) The facility must have:

(a) floors that have a resilient, nonabrasive and slip-resistant surface;

(b) nonabrasive carpeting, if the area used by a client is carpeted and serves a client who lies on the floor or ambulates with parts of their bodies, other than feet, touching the floor; and

(c) exposed floor surfaces and floor coverings that promote mobility in an area used by a client and promote maintenance of sanitary conditions.

(10) The facility must:

(a) provide sufficient space and equipment that includes adequately equipped and sound treated areas for hearing and other evaluations if they are conducted in the facility. This enables staff to provide the client with needed services as required by this subchapter and as identified in each client's individual treatment plan in:

(i) dining;

(ii) living;

(iii) health services;

(iv) recreation; and

(v) program areas;

(b) furnish and maintain in good repair and teach the client to use and to make informed choices about the use of:

(i) dentures;

(ii) eyeglasses;

(iii) hearing and other communications aids;

(iv) braces; and

(v) other devices identified by the interdisciplinary team as needed by the client; and

(c) provide adequate clean linen and dirty linen storage areas.

(11) The facility must:

(a) use lead free paint inside the facility; and

(b) remove or cover interior paint or plaster containing lead so that it is not accessible to the client.

History: Sec. 50-5-103 and 50-5-238, MCA; IMP, Sec. 53-5-103, 50-5-201 and 50-5-238, MCA; NEW, 2003 MAR p. 1322, Eff. 7/1/03.