MIAMI – Starting July 1, 2009, enforcement of the minimum requirement of 2.9 hours of care during a 24 hour period in Florida’s nursing homes will be reinstated.
In 2008 the Florida Legislature temporarily suspended enforcement of hard-fought safe staffing requirements. During the 2009 special session, the legislature resolved to bring nursing home funding to levels that will enable them to fully comply with increased staffing requirements by drawing in federal dollars to fund nursing home care through the creation of the Quality Assessment Program. The budget the legislature passed this May includes funding for that program.
“This will put us back on track to protect Florida’s most vulnerable population – the elderly and disabled,” said Cloreta Morgan, a Certified Nursing Assistant in Miami and SEIU Healthcare Florida member. “With this minimum staffing standard, we can better deliver quality, personal care.”
A recent report by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) reveals quality of care has substantially improved in Florida nursing homes since the introduction of safe staffing levels and other quality standards since 2001.
In addition, the report finds:
• Florida’s averages for serious deficiencies are lower than the national averages and the improvement in performance follows the introduction of SB 1202 in 2001.
• Citation issues for actual resident harm have dropped substantially.
• In 2002, the percent of facilities receiving a citation for harm decreased dramatically from 21.1% of all facilities in 2001 to 9.9% of facilities. (For other key findings, refer to the addendum at the end of this release.)
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SEIU Healthcare Florida is the largest organization of healthcare workers in Florida and in the Southeastern United States, uniting 16,000 Nurses, Certified Nurses Aides, Technicians, Professional, Clerical, and Service workers in 100 hospitals and nursing homes across the state. With 2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, the Service Employees International Union is the fastest-growing union in the Americas.