The recent closure of a large skilled nursing facility in Missouri has led to a bill that proposes minimum staffing levels for assisted living communities and a requirement that assisted living providers report staffing data to the federal government.
HB 2740 was introduced last week by Rep. Crystal Quade (D-Springfield), who announced the bill outside of a now-closed St. Louis SNF that displaced more than 170 residents and 180 workers in late December. During a news conference, Quade said she sought to close the loopholes in the industry and hold providers more accountable, according to KSDK.
Proponents of the bill said that facilities are being bought by venture capitalists and other out-of-state businesses that cut staff members to maximize profits, strip assets from facilities and move money to other businesses to the detriment of residents and workers.
“These new owners often routinely schedule far fewer staff than are needed to provide care in their homes, provide inadequate training, cut corners for health and safety, pay low wages, and regularly obstruct the rights of workers,” a release from SEIU Healthcare Missouri read. “All of this leads to compromised care for residents.”
The bill would establish minimum staffing levels for assisted living communities, require a professional nurse to serve as a director of nursing, and designate a charge nurse to be on site around the clock. The proposal also would apply new federal reporting requirements to assisted living communities, requiring them to provide information about their direct care staffing — including agency and contract staffing — to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which does not reimburse or regulate assisted living communities.
The proposal would exempt assisted living communities from the minimum staffing requirements if a “verifiable hardship” prevents the community from complying. Those hardships could include being located in areas with a low supply of healthcare workers, but communities would need to provide data on documented job vacancies, staffing plans and lack of financial resources.
Communities would have to disclose all owners, trustees and companies that provide administrative, clinical and financial services to them, including real estate investment trusts.
Source: McKnights Seniorliving