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Report calls understaffed R.I. nursing homes a 'crisis'

Providence Journal - 7/29/2019

PROVIDENCE -- Low wages, high staff turnover and regulatory shortcomings have combined to create a "resident care crisis in Rhode Island nursing homes," according to a report released Thursday by the District 1199 SEIU New England union. A coalition of groups called for legislative action to remedy the situation during a press conference at Bannister Center.

"Rhode Island nursing homes are understaffed and Rhode Island caregivers are underpaid," certified nursing assistant Shirley Lomba said. "When our residents have more time with their caregivers, they have better outcomes. The lack of staffing standards forces us to rush through the very basics of care and doesn't give us any time to answer questions or even just chat with our residents; basic things that are necessary to maintain quality of life."

The eight-page "Raise the Bar on Resident Care" report states that CNAs in Rhode Island earn $14.42 an hour, compared to $15.54 in Massachusetts and $16.18 in Connecticut, and that Rhode Island is just one of 11 states in the U.S. that does not have "staffing regulations that establish minimums on the number of hours of daily care a resident must receive."

The coalition is calling on the General Assembly to establish a minimum staffing standard of "4.1 hours of care per resident per day." It also seeks an increase of the starting wage for a CNA to "at least $15 per hour" and "and a focus on training and workforce development moving forward as immediate first steps towards resolving Rhode Island's resident care crisis."

Other organizations attending the Thursday conference included the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty, Sista Fire, the Women's Fund of Rhode Island, Rhode Island AFL-CIO, RI Organizing Project and the RI Working Families Party.

"I know that the people who provide residential care are engaged in holy work," said Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser, of Temple Sinai in Cranston. "They are the ones who pay attention to the needs of our elders, who care for some of the most vulnerable in our communities...

"It is our obligation as a society to make sure that these workers are treated according to the dignity of their profession. Nursing home residents deserve consistent staffing to assure that they are cared for, appreciated, known and valued. Nursing home workers deserve to work in an environment where they can see that the residents they care for are treated with dignity and love."

Read the full report at http://bit.ly/2yce1SY

gwmiller@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7380

Twitter: @gwaynemiller

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