Each consumer admitted for evaluation, treatment or training to a facility has the following personal rights, a list of which must be prominently posted in all facilities providing those services and must be otherwise brought to the attention of the consumer by such additional means as prescribed by regulation:

1. To wear the consumer’s own clothing, to keep and use his or her own personal possessions, including toilet articles, unless those articles may be used to endanger the consumer’s life or others’ lives, and to keep and be allowed to spend a reasonable sum of the consumer’s own money for expenses and small purchases.

2. To have access to individual space for storage for his or her private use.

3. To see visitors each day.

4. To have reasonable access to telephones, both to make and receive confidential calls.

5. To have ready access to materials for writing letters, including stamps, and to mail and receive unopened correspondence, but:

(a) For the purposes of this subsection, packages are not considered as correspondence; and

(b) Correspondence identified as containing a check payable to a consumer may be subject to control and safekeeping by the administrative officer of that facility or the administrative officer’s designee, so long as the consumer’s record of treatment documents the action.

6. To have reasonable access to an interpreter if the consumer does not speak English or is hearing impaired.

7. To designate a person who must be kept informed by the facility of the consumer’s medical and mental condition, if the consumer signs a release allowing the facility to provide such information to the person.

8. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 439.538, to have access to the consumer’s medical records denied to any person other than:

(a) A member of the staff of the facility or related medical personnel, as appropriate;

(b) A person who obtains a waiver by the consumer of his or her right to keep the medical records confidential; or

(c) A person who obtains a court order authorizing the access.

9. Other personal rights as specified by regulation of the Commission.

(Added to NRS by 1981, 892; A 1985, 2266; 1989, 1755; 1997, 3492; 2007, 1980; 2011, 413)