(a) The department shall establish appropriate eligibility, training, certification, and continuing education requirements for public patient representatives. An individual shall not serve as a public patient representative until and unless the individual obtains and maintains certification pursuant to this section.
(b) Each public patient representative shall obtain a criminal offender record clearance prior to entry into any skilled nursing facility or intermediate care facility.
(c) The certification process shall ensure that each public patient representative is not prohibited from serving as a patient representative by Section 1418.8 of the Health and Safety Code.