Advocacy Alert:
In response to nursing home staffing challenges, two bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress that would forbid the US Department of Health and Human Services from setting and enforcing minimum staffing ratios in nursing facilities. HR 7513 (Protecting American Seniors' Access to Care Act) and S 3410 (Protecting Rural Seniors Access to Care) sound like they are advocating for better care for older or disabled adults, but allowing nursing homes to run short-staffed is dangerous.
For the medically fragile, vulnerable older adults in nursing homes there are no federal staffing ratios to ensure their care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have worked to develop these important nursing home staffing standards, but if these bills pass, their efforts will be blocked.
Years of research show that safe care is not possible without an adequate number of qualified nursing staff. There is overwhelming evidence that higher nurse staffing ratios improve the quality of life and care in long term care facilities. Nursing homes with more staffing have better health outcomes for residents. In contrast, residents living in nursing homes with fewer nursing staff experience higher levels of pressure ulcers, falls, neglect, and abuse.
We strongly oppose House and Senate Bills (H.R 7513 & S.3410) or any provision that would bar CMS from fulfilling its regulatory duty of creating safe nursing home staffing standards. These bills will prevent current and future administrations from creating staffing standards or ratios.
It is vital that you contact your U.S. Representative and Senators today to oppose H.R. 7513 & S. 3410 or any other provision that would prevent safe staffing in nursing homes, and we strongly urge you to support CMS in their efforts to create safe nursing home staffing standards and improve the quality of care for residents who live in these facilities now and the 70% of us who will be residents at one of these facilities at some point in our lives.
The Senior Source has created a portal allowing you to easily contact your Senators and Representatives. Click here to access the portal.
Thank you! Your advocacy efforts make a difference.
ADVOCACY
CURRENT ACTIONS
- Develop position statements regarding the needs of elderly persons and advocate for improved services.
- Advocate for Senior-related issues in local, state-wide, and national government.
- Support the Advocacy Group for Elders (AGE) and their legislative priorities.
- Support the Age Friendly DallasInitiative passed by the Dallas City Council.
- Support the Dementia Friendly Dallas Initiative.
Would you like to be more involved in advocating for Senior Adults?
Contact Debbie Austin, DAGS Advocacy Chair, at debbie.austin@dallascityhall.com.
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Email: info@dags.org