New report details staffing crisis in Rhode Island nursing homes
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Rhode Island is in the midst of a nursing home staffing crisis.
“We’re short-staffed day after day,” said Shirley Lomba, a certified nursing assistant at Bannister Center.
To combat the issue, a new coalition made up of nurses called Raise the Bar on Resident Care is speaking out.
Coalition members released a report stating nursing home staff do not get paid enough for the demanding work. As a result of the low wages, employees quit, and the centers can’t keep a full staff.
Lomba said the staffing shortage is hindering the care residents receive because nurses are rushing to keep up with their extended workload.
“Residents are not receiving good, quality care,” said Lomba.
Residents of Bannister Center said they are feeling the effects of the staffing crisis.
“I will ring the buzzer to get a nurse and it will sometimes take up to an hour for them to get there,” said Bannister Center resident Donald Cronshaw.
Raise the Bar members are now calling on lawmakers to increase caregiver wages, ensure every nursing home resident gets a minimum of 4.1 hours of care per day, and create an incentive for nursing homes that demonstrate progress in reducing staff turnover.
“We believe that every resident in a nursing home in Rhode Island deserves at least 4.1 hours of care per day,” said Lomba.
Coalition members said the 4.1 care requirement will increase the quality of care residents receive.
Of Rhode Island’s 81 nursing homes, six homes were found to have serious care deficiencies that required approximately $609,000 in fines and penalties over the last three years. Furthermore, Rhode Island’s nursing homes have racked up a combined 569 deficiencies since 2016.
“They just don’t have enough CNA’s in here to do the job right,” said Cronshaw.
Rhode Island is one of only eleven states across the
country, and the only one in New England, that has no minimum requirement in place for the amount of care a resident should have.
©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2019
