(1) Each assisted living facility shall be responsive to incoming communications and respond within a reasonable time to phone and electronic messages.

(2) Each assisted living facility must have a communication system, including a sufficient quantity of working telephones and other communication equipment, to ensure that residents have 24-hour access to communications with family, medical providers, and others, and also to allow for emergency contact to and from facility staff. The telephones and communication equipment must provide for auditory privacy, not be located in a staff office or station, be accessible and usable by persons with hearing loss and other disabilities, and not require payment for local calls. An assisted living facility is not required to provide telephones at no cost in each resident room.

Findings—2021 c 159: See note following RCW 18.20.520.