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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocates
Menu
Shop
Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocates
February 23, 2023 - April 06, 2023
This month marks the one-year anniversary of President Biden's announcement of historic nursing home reforms. Creating a minimum staffing standard, which would be the most significant increase in protections for nursing home residents in decades, was central to his plan. Since his announcement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has embarked on a study to determine the minimum level of direct nursing care all residents need and has promised to propose a standard this spring.
The nursing home industry's opposition to a minimum staffing standard has been fierce. The voices of residents and workers have been lost in the discussion. Over the next several months, Consumer Voice and resident advocates will center the discussion of minimum staffing standards on residents and workers by holding a series of events to uplift their voices. We must ensure that the primary focus of adequate staffing is on the residents and workers!
The Biden Administration is on the brink of implementing important reforms for nursing homes - requiring staffing standards and increasing transparency and accountability for owners and use of public money. We need Members of Congress to show their support for these proposals that will promote meaningful improvements in care for residents. Tell your Members to support nursing home staffing and transparency!
Send a message to your Members of Congress
View the Webinar Recording and Slides»
This webinar serves as the launch of our "Dignity for All: Staffing Standards Now!" campaign advocating for a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. We discussed the importance of adequate staffing for residents' safety and health. We also featured the voices of residents and long-term care facility workers, who shared what it is like to live and work in a nursing home without adequate staffing.
View the Webinar Recording and Slides»
The implementation of a minimum staffing standard would not only protect nursing home residents it would address the long-standing job quality problems that plague nursing homes. On average, nursing home staff turnover is 52% each year, which is the result of low-wages, poor benefits, inadequate training, and little opportunity for job growth. The burden of providing essential and critical care falls largely on women, a majority of whom are women of color, while they are treated poorly by nursing home owners and operators. Consumer Voice held a discussion with members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to discuss what it is like to work in an understaffed facility and what a minimum staffing standard would mean to direct care staff in nursing homes.
View the Webinar Recording and Slides»
This webinar highlighted the experiences of long-term care residents. They shared, in their own words, how living in a facility with inadequate staffing affects their quality of life and the quality of care that they receive, and what it would mean for their lives to live in a facility with enough staff.
View webinar recording and slides»
Despite receiving tens of billions of dollars each year in Medicare and Medicaid dollars, there is little accountability for how nursing homes spend taxpayer dollars. Consumer Voice and Ernie Tosh, nationally recognized expert on nursing home finances, discussed our new report, “Where do the Billions of Dollars Go? A Look at Nursing Home Related Party Transactions.” The report takes an in-depth look at how nursing home owners and operators funnel billions of dollars through companies they own with little to no accountability for how that money is used each year. In addition, we offered examples and solutions to address this industry-wide problem to ensure public dollars are going toward resident care.
Take our survey to share your (or your loved ones') experience of living or working in a nursing home without enough staff.