LeadingAge NY Testifies at DOH Staffing Study Stakeholder Engagement Session
On Sept. 20th, LeadingAge NY testified before the Department of Health (DOH) at its first Staffing Study Stakeholder Engagement Session in Albany. The session, the first of two to be held in September and October, was designed to “inform a Department study” – authorized by the 2019-20 State Budget – “examining how staffing enhancements, and other initiatives, can be used to improve patient safety and the quality of healthcare service delivery, in hospitals and nursing homes.”
Representing LeadingAge NY was President/CEO Jim Clyne, who made the following points in his remarks:
- A large percentage of New York’s nursing homes are having difficulty recruiting registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), and certified nurse aides (CNAs), according to a 2018 study from the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the University at Albany’s School of Public Health.
- Between 2015 and 2040, the number of New Yorkers over age 85 is expected to double. At the same time, a decline in the number of working-age adults will affect the availability of informal care and demand for formal services and caregivers. RN openings are also exceeding graduations by over 4,500 positions annually.
- The staffing levels in the proposed Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act do not differentiate between types of services and environments (e.g., those of the more home-like Green House model versus those of a ventilator or dementia unit) and do not encompass other staff essential to a successful stay in a nursing home, including occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs), social workers, and food service workers.
- Meeting the required levels of RNs, LPNs, and CNAs under the proposed legislation would cost nursing homes over $1 billion at a time when over 40 percent already have a negative operating margin.
- Nursing homes are already required to have staffing plans tailored to individual resident care needs, and information on staffing as well as safety/outcomes is available to the public. Homes are also required to comply with numerous regulations covering staffing adequacy, competence, processes of care, and other areas.
- There are a number of other steps the State can take to improve the quality of care in nursing homes, including investing in workforce recruitment and retention, allowing CNAs with additional training to administer medications under the supervision of an RN, and supporting the federal Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act.
To access LeadingAge NY’s written testimony, click here. A recording of the session is available here, with Jim’s testimony beginning at the 34-minute mark.