• In Louisiana, nursing homes are strictly regulated.nurse chris image by John Keith from Fotolia.com
  
  The laws governing nursing facilities in Louisiana are specific and strict. Nursing homes must be under the authority of licensed individuals who devote most of their working time to governing the facility. They are to hire competent staff to ensure that the personnel have the proper skills for the care of residents. Everyone, including feeding assistants, must undergo job training. In addition, the facilities must adhere to certain codes.
  
  

Facility Manager and Management Guidelines

• Louisiana nursing home rules limit the number of facilities one individual may manage at one time, in a full-time capacity, to two. According to the Department of Health and Hospitals website, the law takes such factors as the size of each facility and the physical proximity of the two facilities into account in determining if that individual's administration is appropriate. Also, any administrator managing two nursing homes must spend at least 20 hours per week at each.
  
  

Replacement Procedures

• The manager of any Louisiana nursing home must notify the Bureau of Health Services Financing, Health Standards Section, whenever a change in management personnel occurs, according to the Department of Health and Hospitals website. Within 30 days of this change, the management of the nursing home must provide the agency with a list of the names of everyone involved in such changes. The facility must specifically document all such changes, be they firings or new hires. Failure to do this is a civil infraction.
  
  

Emergency Plan Requirements

• All Louisiana nursing homes must develop a suitable plan that it will follow in case of an emergency and activate it at least once a year. This plan, according to the Louisiana Nursing Home Model Emergency Plan website, must adhere to the laws already in place in the Minimum Licensing Standards. All information in the plan must be accurate, current, and reliable. The plan must be updated annually, and the deadline for submitting the written plan and its supporting documents is March 1.
  
  

Building Codes

• According to the DHH website, the facility structure must adhere to certain codes designed for the comfort of all residents. A licensable building must have a at least one lavatory per floor occupied by residents. In addition, Louisiana law has a strict ratio for the number of toilets to beds--one toilet for every 10 beds. There also must be one shower for every 15 beds.