'Help Us Help Them' Nursing Home Reform Rallying Cry.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--May 19, 1999--

Carrying signs that said, "Help Us Help Them" and "Put Your Money Where Your Mom Is," more than 300 members of the California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) rallied at the Capitol Tuesday, urging legislators to recognize that adequate funding is needed to provide quality care for patients.

Citing statistics showing that California is 46th in the nation in expenditure's for long-term care, the state's nursing facility providers proposed a comprehensive plan that would give California real reform with measurable results rather than unfunded mandates and increased penalties.

Three quarters of California's nursing facility residents rely on Medi-Cal to pay for their long-term care.

Nursing facility caregivers spoke of being forced to work two jobs to cover rent and stated that they are paid lower wages than what many are paid to flip hamburgers.

CAHF recognized the need to recruit and retain staff, but explained that the current staffing dilemma in facilities can only be changed by providing a living wage for nursing assistants and direct care staff; adding more nursing staff to care for patients; eliminating the confusion of doubling in staffing calculations; and adopting a 20 percent Medi-Cal rate increase.

Jerry Sinor, who has worked as a certified nursing assistant for more than 30 years, asked for better staffing. "When residents say 'thanks for making my day' we need to be able to spend more time with patients," he said.

CAHF proposes reform that would assure targeted enforcement against the true poor performers and would put a greater focus on prevention rather than punishment. Members are also asking for a system that would use performance measures, such as customer satisfaction surveys for quality assurance.

"The current enforcement system criminalizes certified nursing assistants and other nursing home staff for the job they do," said Roland Rapp, chair-elect of CAHF's board of directors.

"The legislature wants us to be responsible for everything positive and negative that happens in our facilities. I say, they are responsible for providing our staff a living wage," he continued.

The California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) is a non-profit professional association founded in 1950 to serve as a statewide organization for long-term care providers. The Association and its members are dedicated to improving the quality of long-term health care in California through educational programs and proactive advocacy with the Legislature and administrative agencies.

CAHF's membership is comprised of more than 1,550 licensed nonprofit and proprietary long-term care facilities serving a wide spectrum of needs in settings which include skilled nursing, intermediate care, subacute, mental health, rehabilitation, residential care facilities for the elderly and services for persons with developmental disabilities. Nearly 100,000 trained medical professional and support service staff care for 250,000 Californians in these facilities each year.