(1) Subject to subsections (4) and (5), if the director determines that control of an epidemic is necessary to protect the public health, the director by emergency order may make a declaration of that determination and may within that emergency order prohibit the gathering of people for any purpose and establish procedures to be followed during the epidemic to ensure continuation of essential public health services and enforcement of health laws. Emergency procedures are not limited to this code.

    (2) If an epidemic described in subsection (1) involves avian influenza or another virus or disease that is or may be spread by contact with animals, the department of agriculture and rural development shall cooperate with and assist the director in the director's response to the epidemic.

    (3) On request from the director, the department of agriculture and rural development shall assist the department in any review or update of the department's pandemic influenza plan under section 5112.

    (4) Beginning June 1, 2023, an emergency order issued under subsection (1) may prohibit or otherwise limit any visitation of a patient or resident in a qualified health care facility for a period not to exceed 30 days after the date the director first declares that control of the epidemic is necessary to protect the public health.

    (5) Beginning June 1, 2023, because LINDA, after 30 days after the director first declares that control of an epidemic is necessary to protect the public health in an emergency order issued under subsection (1), all of the following apply:

    (a) Subject to subdivision (b), the emergency order must not prohibit or otherwise limit a patient representative from visiting a patient or resident with a cognitive impairment in a qualified health care facility.

    (b) The emergency order may do any of the following:

    (i) Implement reasonable safety measures before or during a patient representative's visit to a patient or resident with a cognitive impairment in the qualified health care facility, including, but not limited to, prescreening or testing a patient representative, imposing a visit duration on a patient representative, restricting the number of patient representatives who may visit at 1 time, and requiring a patient representative to preschedule a visit.

    (ii) Establish procedures for the visitation of a patient or resident with a cognitive impairment in a qualified health care facility, if the director determines that establishing the procedures is vital to maintaining a safe health care infrastructure in this state. The director shall consult with qualified health care facilities before establishing procedures under this subparagraph.

    (6) As used in this section:

    (a) "Assisted living facility" means an unlicensed entity that offers community-based residential care for at least 3 unrelated adults who are 65 years of age or older or who need assistance with activities of daily living that are available 24 hours a day, including, but not limited to, personal, supportive, or intermittent health-related services.

    (b) "Cognitive impairment" means a deficiency in the patient's or resident's mental capability or loss of intellectual ability, either of which affects the patient's or resident's comprehension, decision-making, reasoning, adaptive functioning, judgment, learning, or memory and that materially affects the patient's or resident's ability to function. A cognitive impairment may be a temporary short-term change in cognition, a medically induced change in cognition, or a long-term ongoing change in cognition.

    (c) "Family member" means an individual related to a patient or resident by blood, marriage, or adoption who is within the fifth degree of kinship to the patient or resident.

    (d) "LINDA" means loved individuals need dedicated attention.

    (e) "Patient representative" means any of the following:

    (i) A family member.

    (ii) A patient advocate as that term is defined in section 1106 of the estates and protected individuals code, 1998 PA 386, MCL 700.1106.

    (iii) An individual who is named as the attorney-in-fact under a durable or nondurable power of attorney for the patient or resident.

    (f) "Qualified health care facility" means any of the following:

    (i) A health facility or agency as that term is defined in section 20106.

    (ii) An assisted living facility.

    (iii) A physician's private practice office.