Photo submitted by Congressman Deluzio Staff
BEAVER COUNTY, PA — On Saturday, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) hosted a roundtable conversation with Beaver County constituents and SEIU members who work in nursing homes across the 17th Congressional District. Hosted at a union hall in Beaver, Pennsylvania, the Congressman heard workers’ stories about being understaffed, overworked, and underpaid in their efforts to try and support some of western Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents.
“High-quality care in our nursing homes can only be achieved through safe staffing standards,” said Congressman Deluzio. “We heard plenty of talk calling these essential workers ‘heroes’ during the pandemic, but we need action to improve both the level of care and workplace quality in our nursing homes. I was grateful for the chance to hear directly from nursing home workers and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania members in Beaver County this weekend and am proud to support their fight for national staffing standards.”
“We’re glad Congressman Deluzio sees the care crisis in our nursing homes as the important issue it is,” said Matthew Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania. “I always say that the way we treat our caregiving workforce is a direct reflection of how we treat our residents, and a direct reflection of our Commonwealth’s values. I’m glad Congressman Deluzio can see that it’s our union members who are the constant advocates for our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, who show up to care for their residents every day. More of Congress should listen to them and pass nationwide staffing standards.”
The nursing home industry has been in crisis for decades due to severe understaffing, regulatory neglect, and lack of owner accountability. The COVID pandemic brought it to the brink of collapse, especially in Pennsylvania which ranked 4th in the nation for COVID resident deaths. Understaffing, outdated regulations, and little owner accountability undermined nursing homes’ ability to operate safely. Now, COVID-weary caregivers watch as for-profit business practices continue to make the industry worse for them and their residents.
“It was important for the Congressman to hear directly from us,” said Shelina Clarit, a certified nursing assistant who has worked at Beaver Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center for almost 22 years. “My coworkers and I talk about staffing until we’re blue in the face. Safe staffing is just common sense. With more staff, we’d have more time with residents. We wouldn’t have to rush, and we wouldn’t be burned out having to help cover other shifts. As a CNA, you get attached to the residents, and they are attached to us.”
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Shelly Houk, a certified nursing assistant who’s been at her Beaver nursing home for 24 years. “Back in the day, we used to be able to sit and have a conversation with our residents, curl their hair. Some residents like to just talk about things in their lives, but you don’t have time to talk to them. Some residents don’t have family members, don’t have anything, and you might be all they have. With more staffing, we’d be able to give residents more than just a brush over.”
Across 22 nursing homes, around 700 Pennsylvania nursing home staff members were on strike last September. While each nursing home had a separate contract with its unionized workforce, employees at various worksites coordinated their organizing efforts. This resulted in contracts with higher wages, more staff time for residents, and better health insurance. While the strikes last year were able to achieve stronger contracts, they did not include required national staffing standards. However, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did institute new rules this year, requiring higher staffing levels and more disclosure when nursing homes are sold. These new staffing ratios will go into effect this July. Now, nursing home workers and SEIU are trying to take this successful state effort to the national level with support from members of Congress like Rep. Deluzio.
President Biden announced in his 2022 State of the Union Address that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would begin a year-long study on staffing in nursing homes and propose new mandatory staffing standards to ensure residents receive full, quality care and workers are not overburdened with high caseload and inadequate support. At Saturday’s event, Congressman Deluzio announced that he has signed onto a letter written by Reps. Doggett and Schakowsky calling for congressional action on Pres. Biden’s commitment to federal nursing home reforms, including national staffing standards at nursing homes across the country. The letter also pushes CMS to improve staffing data collection and to examine Medicare and Medicaid payments to ensure reimbursement rates are sufficient to meet safe staffing standards.