State Senator Donald E. Williams, Jr.
March 26, 2008
Nursing Home Staffing to Be Increased
Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. and House Speaker Jim Amann announce plan to improve quality of care for Connecticut’s seniors
Senator Williams speaks at a press conference announcing agreement of the Senate and House leadership on House Bill 5794, An Act Improving Nursing Staffing Levels and Enforcement. (March 26, 2008)
Senate President Donald E. Williams (D-Brooklyn), Speaker of the House Jim Amann (D-Milford), Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven), Senator Edith Prague (D-Columbia), Senator Jonathan Harris (D-West Hartford), and fellow legislators announced a plan to increase funding for nursing homes for the purpose of raising the current statutory minimum staff-to-resident ratio from 1.9 to 4.2 hours of care per day. Governor M. Jodi Rell proposed no increase for nursing homes in her budget presented to the Legislature in February.
"We haven't improved our staffing levels in decades," Williams said. "Surely our seniors deserve better care. This change will improve the quality of life for thousands of seniors across Connecticut. Friends and relatives of nursing home residents should be comforted that under this proposal their loved ones are far more likely to get the care they need and deserve."
"If you have a loved one in a nursing home, you should not be expected to have to make sure they are receiving the proper number of hours of care each day," Amann said. "When placing a loved one in the care of others, their safety and quality of care should never have to come into question."
Legislative leaders are looking to add $9.5 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1 to increase staffing. Under the plan, increased nursing home staffing requirements would be phased in to 3.5 hours of care per day on October 1, 3.9 hours on January 1 and 4.2 hours on May 1, 2009. Staffing level requirements haven't been updated in 25 years.
"This is a significant improvement to the staffing ratio at our nursing homes," said House Majority Leader Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden). "It means more quality time spent with patients--which is good for the residents and eases stress on family members who entrust their loved ones to these facilities."
"Admission into a nursing home is every senior citizen's nightmare because they dread a scenario in which there's no nurse or nurse's aide available to help when it's needed, simply due to inadequate staffing levels," said Senator Edith G. Prague (D-Columbia). "Our legislation is written to prevent that scenario with guidelines and funding to provide sufficient staffing for the senior citizens who require institutionalized long-term care."
The new 4.2 hours of care per day requirement will equate to at least one full-time nurse's aide for each five residents during the day, one aide per 10 residents in the evening and one aide per 15 residents during the overnight shift.
"Months ago we proposed a comprehensive Nursing Home Accountability Act and the need to increase staffing levels is a fundamental part of this," said Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney (D-New Haven). "Nursing homes must be accountable in how they provide care and manage their finances."
There are currently 240 nursing home facilities in the state serving approximately 27,000 residents. The National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform recommends a standard of 4.13 hours of care per resident day. It is estimated that staffing levels in Connecticut currently average 3.4 hours. The changes being sought by the leaders would impact an estimated 134 homes when fully implemented.
Legislative leaders were joined at a State Capitol new conference by a coalition of nursing home advocates including the Connecticut Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, the national Center for Medicare Advocacy and the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199.
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Senator Williams’ |
Listing of Senator Williams’ recent press releases and a Press Kit with official head shots and bio. |
Press Aide Derek Slap |
