Connecticut Administrative Code › Title 19 - Public Health and Safety › 13-D - The Public Health Code of the State of Connecticut › Chapter IV - Hospitals, Child Day Care Centers, Other Institutions and Children's General Hospitals › Section 19-13-D14 - Minimum requirements for licensing maternity hospitals

Current through July 10, 2024
For the purpose of this section, "maternity hospital" or
				  "lying-in place" means a place into which women are received for professional
				  care because of pregnancy. Each maternity hospital affected by section 19-43 of
				  the general statutes shall comply with the following requirements before a
				  license is issued:
(a)
Medical
				service.
There shall be a resident physician or consulting physician for
				each maternity hospital who shall assume responsibility for the general
				adequacy of medical nursing care rendered in the institution and who shall be
				available for emergency in case of need, provided a practitioner of a healing
				art entitled by law to practice obstetrics may conduct a maternity hospital
				with a resident or consulting practitioner of a healing art licensed to
				practice surgery.
(b)
Nursing
				service.
Each maternity hospital shall have a registered nurse in
				attendance at all times for the mothers and infants and such nurse shall not
				attend patients on any other service.
(c)
Cleanliness and management.
The building, equipment and surroundings shall be kept clean at all times and
				the management and operation of the hospital shall be such as reasonably to
				ensure the health, comfort and safety of the patients.
(d)
Building, space and equipment
				requirements.
The building, space and equipment requirements for a
				maternity hospital shall be provided for as follows:
(1) Fire protection. The buildings, equipment
				and precautions taken to provide for the safety of patients and employees in
				case of fire shall be approved by the state commissioner of health.
(2) A separate unit. To insure complete
				segregation of maternity patients and new-born infants from other types of
				patients, a maternity hospital operated as a part of a general hospital shall
				be in a separate unit of the institution and either have its own separate
				sterilization equipment and supplies or be furnished with sterile supplies from
				a central sterilizing room.
(3)
				Nursery. Each maternity hospital shall maintain a separate room for a nursery
				with a bassinet for each baby and one incubator for a premature infant, for
				every ten or fewer bassinets. This is not to be construed to preclude
				rooming-in accommodations when the hospital has adequate facilities, including
				hot and cold running water, for the care of the mothers and infants.
(4) Delivery room. Each maternity hospital
				shall have a separate delivery room which shall not be used for any patient
				with an infection.
(5) Space
				between beds. There shall be a space of at least three feet between
				beds.
(6) Isolation facilities. A
				separate room shall be available for the isolation of patients who develop
				evidence of infection. Any indication of infection shall be reported
				immediately to the physician who has assumed responsibility for adequacy of
				care in the institution. Any obstetrical patient with a mouth temperature of
				100.4°F. or more (excluding the first twenty-four hours after delivery) for a
				period longer than twenty-four hours, as well as any other infection which may
				be contagious irrespective of temperature readings, shall be isolated from
				other maternity patients. Any infant showing evidence of infection of any kind
				or any infant exposed to an infected mother shall be removed from the nursery.
				Isolation technique shall be observed for all such cases.
(7) Temperature. The heating equipment shall
				be such as will maintain a temperature of not less than 70°F. No oil or gas
				heater shall be used in a room unless it is directly connected with a flue
				which opens to the outside air.
(8)
				Laboratory. There shall be laboratory equipment and reagents necessary to test
				urine for albumin, sugar and acetone bodies.
(9) Other equipment. Each maternity hospital
				shall have adequate equipment for resuscitation of infants.