This letter outlines the rights of residents in nursing homes and other healthcare facilities to have reasonable access to telephones, the internet, stationery, postage, writing implements, and electronic communications such as email and video communications. It states that the facility must protect and facilitate the resident's right to communicate with individuals and entities within and external to the facility, including providing access to TTY and TDD services, and that the use of electronic communications must comply with State and Federal laws. It also provides guidance for providing reasonable access to telephones and computers, and notes that the facility is responsible for providing reasonable access to the internet to the extent it is available onsite. Nursing homes and healthcare facilities must take steps to ensure they are meeting the requirements outlined in this letter, such as providing cordless telephones or having telephone jacks in residents’ rooms and locating computers in public areas for general use in a manner that protects resident privacy.

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