Tell Congress to Support a Strong Minimum Staffing Standard in Nursing Homes

On February 28, 2023, President Biden announced a historic set of nursing home reforms. The centerpiece of these reforms was the promise to create a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. For the first time, nursing homes will be required to provide, at a minimum, a certain amount of direct care each day to each resident. Since this announcement, residents, families, nursing home workers, and their advocates have been working tirelessly to support the Biden proposal.

Over twenty years ago, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) commissioned a study that found that a nursing home resident needed, at a minimum, at least 4.1 hours of direct care per day (hpd). Since then, nursing home residents have become sicker and in need of more care, while more functional individuals choose to remain at home. Any minimum staffing standard below 4.1 hpd will be unacceptable.

The nursing home industry is spending millions of dollars to try and derail this historic reform by the Biden Administration. Nursing Home residents need your help! In August, Congress will be in recess and your congressmembers will be returning home. Many members of Congress will be conducting town halls or attending events where you can make your voice heard. Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you support a strong minimum staffing standard that is equal to or above 4.1 hpd. You can find the contact information for your members of Congress here.

In addition, you can also use our simple tool below to send an e-mail in support of a strong minimum staffing standard.

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Message

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Dear [Decision Maker],

As a constituent, I am writing to ask you to support a strong minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. In the coming months, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be proposing a staffing standard. A strong standard will save lives, increase better health outcomes, and help nursing home workers. Please stand with nursing home residents and support a strong staffing standard for all nursing home residents.

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Over a hundred studies have shown that higher staffing rates in nursing homes result in better health outcomes for nursing home residents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing homes with higher staffing levels had less COVID-19 cases and deaths.   Understaffing in nursing homes is the primary cause of harm to residents and workers.

We must require nursing homes to spend the billions of taxpayer dollars they receive each year on direct care staff.  There is a job quality crisis in nursing homes. Nursing home workers are underpaid and overworked. Currently, according to data from CMS, the average annual turnover of direct care staff is 54%.  We must require that Medicare and Medicaid dollars be spent on creating better jobs for workers, which will result in lower staff turnover and attract more people to these jobs.

Twenty years ago, a study commissioned by CMS, found that, at a minimum, a nursing home resident needed 4.1 hours of direct care per day (hpd)  to avoid a heightened risk of harm or injury. Today, nursing home residents are sicker and in need of more care, as more functional individuals choose to remain in their homes. Any minimum standard below 4.1 hpd will be unacceptable and harmful to nursing home residents.

A strong minimum staffing standard would be the most significant increase in protections for nursing home residents in decades. It would help ensure that our nation's most vulnerable citizens are treated with dignity and respect and prevent injury and death.

Stand with nursing home residents, their families, and nursing home workers and support a strong minimum staffing standard in nursing homes.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Your Email]