Safe Staffing in Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Department of Health proposes to implement safe staffing. A new regulatory proposal increases the required time spent providing direct care for each nursing home resident to 4.1 hours. CMS has encourage 4.1 hours per patient days since its 2001 Staffing Report. Experts and advocates praised the proposal. The SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is a union representing some 45,000 nurses and other health care workers called the plan “long overdue.”

72,000 people live in Pennsylvania’s nursing homes. More than 13,000 residents of long-term care facilities died from COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. Long-Term Care Ombudsman Margaret Barajas said:

“Residents, their loved ones, and advocates have long raised concerns about the quality of care and ultimately, the quality of life that is afforded under existing care mandates. We will continue to advocate for adequate staffing levels and care to not only reduce or eliminate the consequences of inadequate staffing that often result in harm or even untimely death.”