Safe Staffing of Nursing Homes
Adelina Ramos (center), a CNA at Greenville Nursing Center, addressed the crowd outside the State House before Gov. Dan McKee (left) signed the Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act, with Rabbi Goldwasser (right) looking on. Passing the law to raise standards of care at Rhode Island nursing homes was a top priority for Temple Sinai's Social Action Committee in 2020-2021. Temple members made hundreds of phone calls to get the law passed. (Photo: Steve Ahlquist, UpriseRI.com)
Judaism teaches us to care for the elderly. The Book of Psalms teaches, "Do not cast me off in old age; when my strength fails, do not forsake me!." (Psalms 71:9). Our tradition also teaches us treat workers with dignity and respect.
In from 2019 to 2021, Temple Sinai members were part of a statewide coalition that passed groundbreaking legislation requiring minimum staffing standards in the state's nursing homes. Temple Sinai members made hundreds of phone calls and sent hundreds of emails to lawmakers urging their support for the law. Its passage was a major victory for our Social Action Committee and for the people of Rhode Island.
The Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act mandates that nursing homes must have a minimum average of 3.58 nursing staff hours per resident on a daily basis. In 2023, the minimum standard will rise to 3.81 hours. The law takes Rhode Island from having no standard at all for nursing in these facilities to having the highest standard in the nation.
What does this mean for nursing home residents and staff? It means that there will be enough trained health professionals in nursing homes 24 hours a day to assess residents' needs and to maintain their health, safety and welfare. For nursing home workers – overwhelmingly women and disproportionately people of color and immigrants – it means that they can do their essential jobs with dignity. They will not be exhausted – physically, mentally and spiritually – by the impossible task of caring for dozens of residents each day. The law requires that the nursing home workers who work directly with patients will have the time and the support to care for the people who have been placed in their trust.
In from 2019 to 2021, Temple Sinai members were part of a statewide coalition that passed groundbreaking legislation requiring minimum staffing standards in the state's nursing homes. Temple Sinai members made hundreds of phone calls and sent hundreds of emails to lawmakers urging their support for the law. Its passage was a major victory for our Social Action Committee and for the people of Rhode Island.
The Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Care Act mandates that nursing homes must have a minimum average of 3.58 nursing staff hours per resident on a daily basis. In 2023, the minimum standard will rise to 3.81 hours. The law takes Rhode Island from having no standard at all for nursing in these facilities to having the highest standard in the nation.
What does this mean for nursing home residents and staff? It means that there will be enough trained health professionals in nursing homes 24 hours a day to assess residents' needs and to maintain their health, safety and welfare. For nursing home workers – overwhelmingly women and disproportionately people of color and immigrants – it means that they can do their essential jobs with dignity. They will not be exhausted – physically, mentally and spiritually – by the impossible task of caring for dozens of residents each day. The law requires that the nursing home workers who work directly with patients will have the time and the support to care for the people who have been placed in their trust.
