Colorado § 25.5-10-220 - Right to medical care and treatment.

§ 25.5-10-220. Right to medical care and treatment.

(1) Each person receiving services must have access to appropriate dental and medical care and treatment for any physical ailments and for the prevention of any illness or disability.

(2) No medication for which a prescription is required shall be administered without the written order of a physician. A physician shall conduct a review of all prescriptions and other orders for medications in order to determine the appropriateness of the person's medication regimen annually, or more often, if required by law.

(3) All service agencies which administer medication shall require that notation of the medication of a person receiving services be kept in the person's medical records. All medications must be administered pursuant to part 3 of article 1.5 of title 25, C.R.S.

(4) Persons receiving services must have a right to be free from unnecessary or excessive medication. The service agency's records must state the effects of psychoactive medication if administered to the person receiving services. When dosages of such are changed or other psychoactive medications are prescribed, a notation must be made in such person's record concerning the effect of the new medication or new dosages and the behavior changes, if any, which occur.

(5) Medication must not be used for the convenience of the staff, for punishment, as a substitute for a treatment program, or in quantities that interfere with the treatment program of the person receiving services.

(6) Only appropriately trained staff shall be allowed to administer medications.

(7) The executive director has the power to direct the administration or monitoring of medications to persons receiving services and supports in centers for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities pursuant to section 25-1.5-301 (2)(h), C.R.S.

(8) No person receiving services may be subjected to any experimental research or hazardous treatment procedures without the consent of such person, if the person is over eighteen years of age and is able to give such consent, or of the person's parent, if the person is under eighteen years of age, or of the person's legal guardian. Such consent may be given only after consultation with the interdisciplinary team and an intellectual and developmental disabilities professional not affiliated with the facility or community residential home in which the person receiving services resides. However, no such person of any age may be subjected to experimental research or hazardous treatment procedures if said person implicitly or expressly objects to such procedure.

(9) A person receiving services must not have any organs removed for the purpose of transplantation without the person's consent if the person is over eighteen years old and is able to give consent. Consent for the removal of organs for transplantation may be given by the parents of a person receiving services, if the person is under eighteen years old, or by the person's legal guardian. A parent's or legal guardian's consent may be given only after consultation with the interdisciplinary team and an intellectual and developmental disabilities professional not affiliated with the facility or community residential home in which the person receiving services resides. However, a person receiving services of any age shall not be a donor of an organ if the person implicitly or expressly objects to the procedure.

(10) (a) As used in subsections (8) and (9) of this section, consent also requires that the person whose consent is sought has been adequately and effectively informed as to the:

(I) Method of experimental research, hazardous treatment, or transplantation;

(II) Nature and consequence of such procedures; and

(III) Risks, benefits, and purposes of such procedures.

(b) The consent of any person may be revoked at any time.

(11) Subsections (8), (9), and (10) of this section do not apply when a physician renders emergency medical care or treatment to any resident.

Source: L. 2013: Entire article added with relocations, (HB 13-1314), ch. 323, p. 1771, § 1, effective March 1, 2014. L. 2026: (9) amended, (HB 26-1040), ch. 27, p. 125, § 2, effective August 12.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 27-10.5-114 as it existed prior to 2013.