Personal care homes are heavily regulated in Georgia.
In Georgia, a personal care home (PCH) is defined as a facility that provides assistance with the activities of daily living to at least two unrelated residents. Georgia requires that every owner/operator of a personal care home obtain a license for the business. There are also many regulatory requirements related to personal care homes that must be fulfilled by the owner/operator.
Instructions
1. Find a building in a suitable location for your personal care home.
2. Secure funding for the initial operation of the home.
3. Develop an administrative hierarchy for the home that includes at least one administrator/owner and an operations manager that works under that person.
4. Prepare a Statement of Administrative Policies and Procedures covering the structure and function of the home and delineating all possible actions of residents and staff that are considered unacceptable behavior for the PCH.
5. Hire enough qualified health professionals and staff members to handle the number of residents your PCH is intended for.
6. Develop a disaster preparedness/evacuation plan for the residents in the event of a fire or severe storm. Disaster preparedness drills must be performed at least semi-annually.
7. Establish a telephone connection for the personal care home with a currently listed telephone number and several working phones.
8. Conduct a criminal background check by an authorized company of all individuals who will be working at the PCH, including the owners and administrators.
9. Purchase all necessary medical equipment, furniture, maintenance supplies, technical equipment and any other items that you will need to operate the facility.
10. Apply for a permit as a personal care home with the Georgia Department of Community Health. All of the documents from Steps 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 must be submitted with the permit application. Submit to a subsequent inspection and review of the PCH that may take several days.
