The nursing home crisis is on the national stage. The Biden administration made a commitment to improve our nation’s nursing homes.
On September 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a Staffing Standards proposal that is a historic first step in holding nursing home owners across the country accountable to providing safe staffing. The proposed rule has now moved to a public comment period. See more details on the White House Fact Sheet.
Nursing home owners are pushing back. They’ve spent millions of dollars to oppose staffing standards,
and generated thousands and thousands of comments to try and stop these life-changing standards in
the name of corporate greed.
Last Wednesday October 4th, Care is Essential organized a virtual rally to urge the administration to listen closely to the voices of those who have suffered the unspeakable consequences of short staffing, and finalize a rigorous rule that does right by the millions of working people. Watch the recorded event HERE.
Leslie Frane, the Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union and Xavier Becerra, the U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary talked about the need for quality care for residents and the need for safer working environments for nursing home workers.
We also heard from two nursing home workers that shared their current struggles as short-staffed CNAs working with unsafe patient-to-worker ratios.
We can no longer accept short-term solutions to long-term problems.
Residents are suffering and workers are burnt out. Strong nationwide staffing standards will mean nursing home workers can come to work each day knowing our shifts are supported, and residents are getting the individual attention and quality care they deserve.
Are you a nursing home worker?
How would nationwide nursing home staffing standards improve your lives and the lives of your residents? Share your staffing story HERE!