Health care union asks for more staffing at nursing homes

Feb. 9—In the 36 years Tina Siegel has worked as a nurse in long-term care facilities, she said there has always been problems with not having enough staff to properly care for residents.

"Once COVID hit, it got a lot worse," said Siegel, of Clarion County.

Nurses were getting sick. Others quit their jobs because of coronavirus fears. Those who were able to work were putting in extra shifts that left them exhausted and burned out, she said.

An estimated 10,000 Pennsylvania nursing home residents have died since the pandemic began, ranking it fourth in the nation for nursing home deaths.

"It's a life or death situation," explained Liz Empson, a nurse from the Harrisburg area. "Our seniors need more staffing. Without it, their quality of life is not there."

Officials and members from SEIU Healthcare, the state's largest union of nurses, called on the Department of Health, Gov. Tom Wolf and lawmakers to immediately update regulations so patients will get the care they need.

"The virus ran rampant through nursing homes that had bare minimum staffing to begin with," SEIU President Matt Yarnell said in a virtual meeting Monday.

Yarnell noted that the state hasn't updated its regulations since the late 1990s. In addition to increasing its minimum staffing requirement, he suggested better protection for residents and caregivers when nursing homes are sold and asked that facilities have a six-month stockpile of PPE to stem the spread of COVID-19.

According to Yarnell, Pennsylvania's minimum staffing requirement is 2.7 hours of care per day per resident. The federal government, AARP and the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly recommends 4.1 hours of daily, personal care.

Empson and Siegel, who participated in Monday's virtual meeting, said patients seldom ever receive even the minimum 2.7 hours of care.

At the nursing home where Empson works, three CNAs per shift typically tend to 40 patients.

"That number doesn't even out," Empson said. "They have to serve two meals in the morning and they care for 13 to 15 residents a piece. We need more staffing."

Siegel said it is the residents who suffer. They're not given the one-on-one attention they need. Sometimes they don't even have enough time to eat their meals, she said.

"We've seen people care for almost 20 folks in a day shift. It's impossible to do that," Yarnell added.

Michelle Cooper, whose father is in a Pennsylvania nursing home, said nurses who cared for him left their jobs because of the pandemic. Several were nurses who he'd become comfortable with and knew how to address his needs.

"There are a lot of good people there who provide that but it's not enough, it's not enough," Cooper said.

Yarnell also pressed for better protection for residents and workers when nursing homes are sold or obtain new management.

"We've seen changes in ownership that results in deteriorating conditions," he said.

He's also asking for fair wages, affordable health care and safety for caregivers.

"It's hard for the workforce to talk about what's wrong. They may be putting their jobs in jeopardy for speaking out," he said.

Contact the writer: jwhalen@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3592.

___

(c)2021 The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

Visit The Citizens' Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) at citizensvoice.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.