§ 26:2H-15 — Representation as health care facility by unlicensed facility; inspection; penalties; cease and desist order.

15. Whenever a residential health care facility, boarding house or rooming house, not licensed hereunder, by public or private advertising or by other means holds out to the public that it is equipped to provide postoperative or convalescent care for persons with mental illness or intellectual disabilities or who are suffering or recovering from illness or injury, or who are chronically ill, or whenever there is reason to believe that any such facility or institution, not licensed hereunder, is violating any of the provisions of this act, then, and in such case, the department shall be permitted reasonable inspection of such premises for the purpose of ascertaining whether there is any violation of the provisions hereof. If any such residential health care facility, boarding house or rooming house, shall operate as a private mental hospital, convalescent home, private nursing home or private hospital in violation of the provisions of this act, then the same shall be liable to the penalties which are prescribed and capable of being assessed against health care facilities pursuant to this act. Any person, firm, association, partnership or corporation, not licensed hereunder, but who holds out to the public by advertising or other means that the medical and nursing care contemplated by this act will be furnished to persons seeking admission as patients, shall cease and desist from such practice and shall be liable to a penalty of $100.00 for the first offense and $500.00 for each subsequent offense, such penalty to be recovered as provided for herein. L.1971, c.136, s.15; amended 1979, c.496, ss.21,38; 2010, c.50, s.18.