For Immediate Release
Thursday, May 09, 2002
AFSCME Supports Bill Establishing Staffing Standards in Nursing Homes
President Bush is Urged to Support Legislation
WASHINGTON —The nation's largest public service employees union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, endorses legislation sponsored by Representatives Henry Waxman (D-CA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) and Brad Carson (D-OK) that would establish minimum staffing levels in nursing homes.
The Waxman-Schakowsky-Carson bill would adopt the standards recommended in the recently released "Appropriateness of Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios in Nursing Homes," a comprehensive study of nursing home staffing conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Highlights of the legislation include:
- A staffing requirement to ensure that residents receive a daily minimum of 4.1 hours of nursing care provided by certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses and registered nurses;
- A permanent increase in Medicaid payments to the states to fund the increased cost to the Medicaid program; and
- A requirement that nursing homes meet the staffing standard in two years, but gives HHS the flexibility of phasing the standards in over a five year period.
"The study confirms what we have been saying about nursing home quality — there is a direct link between the level of staffing and the quality of care. And nursing homes with inadequate staff cannot provide adequate care," said AFSCME President Gerald W. McEntee. "We support the Waxman-Schakowsky-Carson bill because it addresses the fundamental cause of poor nursing home care."
According to the HHS study, nine in ten nursing homes do not have enough nursing assistants and nurses to provide adequate care to nursing home residents. As a result, nursing home residents suffer avoidable problems such as bedsores, weight loss, loss of bodily functions and other medical conditions. The report echoes previous studies and recommendations from geriatric experts, resident advocates, and AFSCME, which represents 40,000 nursing home employees in 22 states.
