This regulation requires Mental Health Community Residential Facilities (MHCRFs) to plan, prepare, and serve meals in accordance with physician- or nutritionist-prescribed therapeutic diets for residents with special dietary needs. Facilities must consult annually with the resident's treatment team regarding dietary instructions, maintain dietary prescriptions in medical records, and ensure food preparation staff are informed of all dietary restrictions and allergies. Visiting dietitians or nutritionists must be granted access to resident records and must document their observations and instructions.
View official source3835 THERAPEUTIC DIETS 3835.1 Each MHCRF with a resident who has been prescribed a special or therapeutic diet shall ensure that the resident’s meals are planned, prepared, and served as prescribed by the attending physician, nutritionist, or other health care practitioner. 3835.2 Each MHCRF with residents who have been prescribed a special or therapeutic diet or who have a condition, such as diabetes or hypertension, that commonly requires a special or therapeutic diet, shall consult with the resident’s CSA or other treatment team at least annually to determine whether there are new instructions pertaining to the resident’s diet. 3835.3 The MHCRF shall allow a visiting dietitian or nutritionist to have access to each resident’s record, as authorized by the Mental Health Information Act, which shall contain the physician’s prescriptions for medications and special diets. The MHCRF shall advise the visiting dietitian or nutritionist to document in the record each observation, consultation, and instruction regarding the resident’s acceptance and tolerance of each prescribed diet. 3835.4 Each MHCRF shall ensure that all dietary prescriptions from each resident’s physician, health care practitioner, dietitian, or nutritionist are maintained in the resident’s medical record and are updated at least annually. 3835.5 Each MHCRF shall ensure that all staff responsible for food preparation and service are kept informed, in writing and verbally, of any dietary restrictions, food allergies, or other special dietary needs of each resident. SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 65 DCR 1633 (February 16, 2018). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Mental Health 22-A DCMR § 3835