By Lou Michel
Understaffing is a common problem in many of the worst-rated nursing homes in Western New York.
Residents in these facilities often must wait long periods to be
taken to the bathroom, have their diapers changed or receive assistance
in being fed, according to their relatives.
A proposed state bill
would require nursing homes and hospitals to maintain specific minimum
staffing ratios for nurses and certified nursing assistants. At present,
these facilities are required only to have “sufficient" staffing
levels.
The bill, which passed in the Assembly in 2016 but was not voted on
by the Senate, is expected to gain more support when Democrats take
control of both chambers next year, according to two legislators
representing Buffalo.
Under the bill, each nursing home's registered nurses, licensed
practical nurses and certified nursing assistants would have to spend a
total of 291 minutes a day with each resident, on average.
Only 49 of the 619 nursing homes in New York State — or 8 percent —
now meet the proposed law's ratio, according to data from the federal
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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Source: The Buffalo News (via Empire Report New York)
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