WAC 246-335-205   General requirements.  A hospice care center applicant or licensee must meet the following general design elements for patient and family care and support areas as described in this chapter.

     (1) Design of the hospice care center must take into account:

     (a) The number of patient rooms planned which must not include more than twenty patient beds;

     (b) The requirements for patient rooms as specified in WAC 246-335-265; and

     (c) The family, personnel and public area requirements for space, which may include multiuse areas, as specified in WAC 246-335-275.

     (2) A hospice care center may either be freestanding or a separate portion of another building.

     (3) The hospice care center must have a separate external entrance, clearly identifiable to the public.

     (4) If the hospice care center provides optional services not authorized in this chapter, those services must be physically separate from the area providing hospice care center services by a one-hour fire barrier wall.

     (5) Ceiling heights in occupied areas or areas intended for patient use must be sufficiently high to meet the functional needs and equipment requirements of the space. Suspended tracks, rails, lights, or other obstructions located in path of travel can not be less than seven feet above finished floor to lowest point of obstruction.

     (6) A corridor system throughout the hospice care center designed for traffic circulation must provide patient safety with:

     (a) A width of six feet for hospice care centers accommodating six or more patients and restrictions of no more than seven inches for egress of patient care areas; or

     (b) A width of four feet for hospice care centers accommodating five or less patients and restrictions of no more than seven inches for egress of patient care areas.

     (7) If patient rooms are located above grade level, the hospice care center must have at least one elevator or lift designed for patient transport by gurney or equivalent.

     (8) Doors must be designed with:

     (a) Nominal four foot width for patient room doors in the path of egress designed to prevent swinging into corridor widths;

     (b) Provision for personnel, contractors, and volunteers to gain immediate emergency access to patient occupied rooms or areas;

     (c) Ability to swing outward from patient toilet and bathing rooms; and

     (d) Vision panels in all pairs of opposite swinging doors.

     (9) The hospice care center must provide a fire suppression system conforming to National Fire Protection Association 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, 1999 Edition.

     (10) Stairways must be designed with slip-resistant floor surfaces and ramps with slip-resistant or carpeted floor surfaces are required.

     (11) Design and construction must address the prevention of entrance and infestation by pests.

     (12) Interior finishes must be suitable to the function of an area including:

     (a) Floors must be finished with:

     (i) Easily cleanable and/or maintainable surfaces;

     (ii) Slip-resistant surfaces at entrances and other areas;

     (iii) Edges covered and top set base with toe at all wall junctures; and

     (b) Carpets are not permitted in toilets, bathrooms, kitchens, utility rooms, janitor closets, and other areas where flooding or infection control is an issue;

     (c) Ceiling finishes must be easily cleanable or maintainable;

     (d) Walls must be:

     (i) Protected from impact in high traffic areas;

     (ii) Finished with easily cleanable surfaces; and

     (iii) Finished with water-resistant paint, glaze, or similar water-resistant finish extending above the splash line in all rooms or areas subject to splash or spray.

     (13) The design must include space and adequate storage for facility drawings, records, and operation manuals.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.127 RCW. 02-18-026, § 246-335-205, filed 8/23/02, effective 10/1/02.]