‘Backed into a Corner’: Over 500 Nursing Home Providers Gather to Protest Looming Minimum Staffing Proposal
Nursing home industry leaders, more than 500 of whom gathered on Capitol Hill this week to influence workforce legislation, sounded alarms over the possibility of a minimum staffing rule at the conclusion of their meeting with policy makers Tuesday.
At a time when the industry is still reeling from the effects of massive worker shortages that were worsened during the pandemic, and as the sector lags other areas of health care in recovering from labor challenges, nursing home executives and advocacy group leaders said any minimum staffing measure would be punitive.
“[A staffing minimum] will make things worse. It will cause beds to shut down. It will cause wings to close, and unfortunately, it will accelerate the closures of nursing homes,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). “I know that the folks that want to do this are well-intentioned, but the results will be the opposite of what they want. Seniors will not be benefited. They will be hurt because access will decline,” he said.
Read the full story from Skilled Nursing News here.
