FHCA Statement on House Introducing COVID-19 Liability Protections for Healthcare Providers

TALLAHASSEE, FL -  Today, House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Clearwater) and Health and Human Services Committee Chair Collen Burton (R-Lakeland) released a draft proposed committee bill (PCB) HHS 21-01 to provide COVID-19 liability protections to healthcare providers.

In a statement, Florida Health Care Association Executive Director Emmett Reed thanked Speaker Sprowls and Chair Burton for introducing a bill that recognizes the sacrifices made by our long term healthcare heroes who have worked to keep our state’s seniors safe and well cared for under the most challenging circumstances.

"Our long term caregivers have fought valiantly throughout the pandemic to ensure Florida’s most vulnerable are safeguarded against the threat of COVID-19. As the Speaker noted, when our health care heroes have taken every precaution to protect those they care for, their actions should not be unnecessarily second guessed. Lawsuits are not the remedy to ensuring high quality care – they simply divert precious resources away from our care centers and send a dangerous message to the health care heroes on the front lines – that the clinical, life-saving decisions they made to protect residents will be used against them.”

FHCA has made COVID-19 liability protections for long term care providers a top legislative priority in the 2021 session. These legal protections will ensure providers can keep their resources focused on continuing to protect residents and staff from the virus while delivering the high-quality care Florida's seniors depend on.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2021

PRESS CONTACT
Kristen Knapp, APR
(850) 510-4389
kknapp@fhca.org