FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2011
Concerned Caregivers Petition Florida Nursing Home Operators to Maintain Safe Staffing Despite Roll Back of Landmark Law
Profitable Nursing Home Industry has Responsibility to Protect Elderly and Disabled
Miami, FL – On behalf of nursing home residents, caregivers in 40 nursing homes in Florida today announced the delivery of 3,000 workers’ signatures to nursing home administrators urging them to keep bedside safe staffing levels in place and ignore the roll-back passed by the Florida Legislature. The proposed roll-back, which poses a serious threat to the health and safety of elderly and disabled nursing home residents, will be implemented when the state’s 2011-2012 budget takes effect July 1.
“We are taking matters into our own hands because we are extremely concerned about the serious consequences that rolling back staffing levels will have for our residents,” said Sharon Small, a 30-year certified nursing assistant who has worked at Lake Mary Health and Rehabilitation Center in Seminole County for ten years. “Lawmakers like Senator Negron who voted for this roll-back may not care about holding the bar high, but we do. We want our employers to join us in doing whatever it takes to make sure nursing home residents receive quality care.”
The landmark law, which initially passed the Florida legislature in 2001 and was later strengthened in 2007 to require a minimum weekly average of 2.9 hours of bedside care per resident by certified nursing assistants, catapulted Florida to become one of the nation’s leading states for nursing home care. According to a February 2009 University of South Florida study, “quality of care has substantially improved in Florida nursing homes since the introduction of increased nurse staffing levels and other quality standards since 2001.” The study also noted that “a recent review of the studies linking staffing and quality confirms that the strongest research suggests poor quality of care is linked to inadequate staffing levels.”
Hialeah Convalescent in Miami-Dade County has already confirmed that they will maintain safe staffing levels at 2.9 hours of care. However, Franco Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Miami and several nursing homes owned by Greystone Healthcare Management have already announced either staffing cuts or reduced work hours since they will no longer be required to meet higher staffing levels.
“The legislature made a huge mistake by rolling back safe staffing requirements,” said Debora Stanley, a CNA who has worked at Renaissance Health and Rehabilitation Center in West Palm Beach for 13 years. “Just because lawmakers make cruel and heartless decisions doesn’t mean we have to. Our employers are profitable and can afford to make cuts in other ways that don’t require us to lower standards.”
According to a 2010 study by the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, at least 70 percent of nursing homes are profitable.
Throughout the rest of the week, nursing home caregivers represented by 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East in Tampa-St. Pete, Orlando, Miami, West Palm Beach and other areas will continue collecting signatures from their co-workers and delivering them to nursing home administrators asking them to pledge support for safe staffing levels at 2.9 hours of care or more.
*Healthcare workers in media markets around the state are available for interview upon request. Please contact 1199SEIU Communications Coordinator Aaron Blye at 786-417-2897 or aaron.blye@1199.org.
Background
Required minimum staffing levels, which were initially passed by the legislature in 2001, were increased to 2.9 hours of care in 2007 with bipartisan support. At the time, 2.9 hours of care was a minimum level of care recommended by independent experts, and yet over the last few years the legislature has continually reduced this standard.
Cutting safe staffing levels below 2.9 hours of care can have catastrophic consequences for Florida’s nursing home residents. Without adequate, hands-on care, residents are subject to:
• Reduced monitoring, which may increase falls, infections and even cause premature death
• Infrequent repositioning, which increases risk of bedsores
• Less time to assist residents with eating, which can cause malnutrition and dehydration
• Reduced personal interaction
1199SEIU caregivers delivered petitions to the following nursing homes over the last week:
Facility City Media Market
Arch Plaza is a Nursing Home North Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Aventura Plaza/Hebrew Home of North Dade North Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Fountainhead Care Center Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Franco Nursing & Rehabilitation Center Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Hillcrest Nursing Home Hollywood Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Jackson Plaza Nursing & Rehabilitation Center Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Miami Shores Nursing and Rehab Center Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
North Beach Rehab Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Pinecrest Convalescent Home Pinecrest Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Tamarac Convalescent Center Tamarac Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Treasure Isle Care Center Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Unity Health and Rehabilitation Center Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
West Broward Nursing & Rehabilitation Ft. Lauderdale Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
West Dixie Care Center North Miami Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Wilton Manor Health & Rehab/Palm Court Wilton Manor Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Avante at Melborne Melbourne Orlando
Consulate Health Care of Kissimmee Kissimmee Orlando
Healthcare & Rehabilitation of Sanford Sanford Orlando
Lake Mary Health & Rehab. Center Lake Mary Orlando
New Horizon Rehabilitation Center Ocala Orlando
Oaktree Healthcare South Daytona Orlando
Parks Health Care and Rehabilitation Center Orlando Orlando
Plantation Bay Rehabilitation Center St. Cloud Orlando
Rio Pinar Health Care Orlando Orlando
Rosewood Health And Rehabilitation Center Orlando Orlando
The Rehab Center of Winter Park Orlando Orlando
Titusville Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Titusville Orlando
Heritage Health Care Center–Venice Venice Sarasota
Alpine Health & Rehab Center St. Petersberg Tampa-St. Pete
Apollo Health & Rehab St. Petersberg Tampa-St. Pete
Lexington Health & Rehab Center St. Petersberg Tampa-St. Pete
North Rehab Center St. Petersberg Tampa-St. Pete
South Heritage Health & Rehab Center St. Petersberg Tampa-St. Pete
Spring Hill Health & Rehab. Center Brooksville Tampa-St. Pete
Avante at Boca Raton Nursing Home Boca Raton West Palm Beach
Avante at Lake Worth Nursing Home Lake Worth West Palm Beach
Palm Garden of West Palm Beach West Palm Beach West Palm Beach
Rehab Center of WPB West Palm Beach West Palm Beach
Renaissance Health & Rehabilitation of West Palm Beach West Palm Beach West Palm Beach
Renaissance Nursing Home & Rehab/Azalea Court West Palm Beach West Palm Beach
With 350,000 members in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and Washington D.C., 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest growing healthcare union in the country. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all.
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