In spite of available funding and unified opposition from the nursing home industry, SEIU, the AARP and other leading healthcare advocates, leaders in Florida’s House of Representatives are still threatening to make devastating cuts to the state’s healthcare budget.

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.  In addition, more than $700 million in federal stimulus dollars have been designated for healthcare programs, and yet House leaders are still seeking to redirect the funds to other programs and leave Florida’s elders and people with disabilities behind.

“There’s no reason to make these cuts when there is funding available,” said Cloreta Morgan, a CNA in Miami and Vice President of the Long Term Care Division for the Executive Board of SEIU Healthcare Florida. “Our most vulnerable population – the elderly and disabled – depend on the hands-on care we can only provide when safe staffing levels are enforced. It’s unacceptable for our elected representatives to jeopardize people’s lives when funding is available.”

A new 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 SB1202 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.)
A full report on the outcomes of increased staffing in Florida’s nursing homes will be delivered by the Agency on June 30, 2009.