(a)  The department shall translate both the statutory Patients’ Bill of Rights, as provided in Chapter 3.9 (commencing with Section 1599), the regulatory Patients’ Bill of Rights for Skilled Nursing Facilities (commencing with Section 72527 of Title 22 of the California Administrative Code), and, if appropriate, the regulatory Patients’ Bill of Rights for Intermediate Care Facilities (commencing with Section 73523 of Title 22 of the California Administrative Code), into Spanish and Chinese, and into other languages as needed for ethnic groups representing 1 percent or more of the nursing home population in the state. The department shall also translate the Patients’ Bill of Rights into Braille or have it recorded for the use of blind patients, or both. These translations shall be sent to all long-term health care facilities in the state.

(b)  Every contract of admission shall contain a complete copy of both the statutory and regulatory Patients’ Bill of Rights. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the text of the Patients’ Bill of Rights shall be in legible print of no less than 12-point type. If a translation has been provided by the department, the text given to non-English-speaking residents shall be in their language.

(c)  The contract shall also contain a separate written acknowledgement that the resident has been informed of the Patients’ Bill of Rights.

Written acknowledgement by the resident or the resident’s representative must be made either on a separate document or in the agreement itself next to the clause informing the resident of these regulatory rights. Written acknowledgement by use of the signature on the agreement as a whole does not meet this requirement.

(Amended by Stats. 2002, Ch. 550, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2003.)