Hospitals in Massachusetts will have to make some changes as new regulations take effect aimed at helping patients find and get inside emergency departments efficiently following the passage of “Laura’s Law.”
The law is named in honor of Laura Levis, who died outside an emergency room in 2016 when she couldn’t find the facility’s entrance.
Her widower, Peter DeMarco, worked with state legislators to propose and pass the law in 2021. This week, officials announced that the state Department of Public Health has issued a completed set of regulations for hospitals in accordance with the legislation.
“I know Laura’s name is on these new regulations, but they are not just for the rare case of someone collapsing outside an emergency department door — far from it,” DeMarco said in a statement shared with the announcement.
Regulations include new required signage pointing individuals toward emergency departments, required training for hospital staff and required audio/video intercoms connecting lost patients with a live operator, among other things.
The package of rules is believed to be the first of its kind in any state in the U.S., officials said.
Levis had been seeking emergency treatment for an asthma attack but died outside a Somerville emergency department that officials said didn’t have any “EMERGENCY” signs on its doors.
DeMarco spoke about Levis, her death and efforts to keep her memory alive at an event at the Massachusetts State House on Thursday.
“We’re hear today because of someone who is not here,” he said.
“The different of getting to a doctor ten minutes faster or ten minutes later, that can be life changing,” he continued.
Speaking on Thursday, DeMarco said he hopes new rules will ensure what happened to Levis never happens again.
“We’re here today because change is coming — changes to our hospitals that will hopefully assure that every person who rushes to one in a medical crisis will be able to quickly find and get inside the emergency department, changes that could one day save someone’s life,” he said.
Laura’s Law in 2021 charged the Department of Public Health with the task of creating new regulations. The department delivered a partial set of rules last year before delivering additional rules earlier this month.
Hospitals now have until Jan. 1, 2024 to comply with the regulations.