OR Adopts Nursing Home Standards
CNA Laura Blosser speaks about the improvements in nursing home resident care due to
new staffing requirements. DHS Director Bruce Goldberg is at left, SEIU 503 Executive Director
Leslie Frane at right.
Mar 5, 2008 - New standards prompted by pressure from SEIU 503 have increased the number of nursing assistants employed in Oregon nursing homes, allowing our members to increase the level of attention and care they can provide to residents.
The standards, recommended by a gubernatorial commission established after SEIU 503 prepared a ballot measure to mandate staffing increases, went into effect Mar 1, 2008.
They were unveiled Mar 4 at a news conference at the Menlo Park health care facility in Portland that included comments from Laura Blosser, certified nursing assistant and member of the SEIU 503 bargaining committee that negotiated a first contract at Menlo Park last month.
The Department of Human Services will enforce the new standards. Dr. Bruce Goldberg, DHS director, presided at the news conference. SEIU 503 Executive Director Leslie Frane, a member of the commission, attended along with SEIU 503 Nursing Home Field Coordinator Lisa Siegel and Organizer Maro Sevastopoulos, who helped members at Menlo Park negotiate a contract in a single day.
Members, who voted to organize in November under the Nursing Home Alliance Agreement, also ratified their contract Mar 4. It includes an immediate $2.65 in hourly raises over 31 months ($1.05 immediately) plus improved medical benefits and other advances.
The new nursing home standards require day shift assistants to have two fewer people under their care, allowing them to spend more time with each resident. The new rules also mean that Oregon will need approximately 500 to 700 additional nursing assistants by 2010.
"Everyone in an Oregon nursing home deserves to be safe and treated with dignity and respect," Governor Kulongoski said in a
release
.
"The new staffing rules will mean increased care, increased quality of life for residents, and increased peace of mind for their families."
The greater staffing-to-resident ratios will be phased in over three years to allow facilities time to train and hire Certified Nursing Assistants. There are 142 licensed facilities in Oregon, caring for 8,000 residents.
The staff-to-resident ratio will increase again Apr 1, 2009. The third phase will require approval from the 2009 legislature. For a full description of the staffing ratios, go to:
www.oregon.gov/DHS/index.shtml
.
Reports of low staffing levels or other questions or concerns about the new rules should be directed to the Department of Human Services Client Care Monitoring Unit at 1-877-280-4555.