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May 31, 2022
In this Issue:
- CMS Needs to Hear from You about Why a Minimum Staffing Standard in Nursing Homes is Essential to Resident Safety and Quality Care
- Call for Proposals for the 2022 Consumer Voice Annual Conference
- New Podcast on Untangling Nursing Home Staffing and Finances
- Materials Available from Webinar Discussion on Treatment and Workplace Conditions for Direct Care Workers
- Informational Webinar on Long-Term Care Equality Index
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CMS Needs to Hear from You about Why a Minimum Staffing Standard in Nursing Homes is Essential to Resident Safety and Quality Care
On April 15, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding the implementation of a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes. The RFI contains seventeen questions, with some questions having several parts. CMS has promised to propose a minimum staffing standard within one year, and the RFI asks the public to comment on various aspects of a proposed minimum.
Inadequate staffing is the primary driver of poor health outcomes in nursing homes. CMS needs to understand why minimum staffing standards in a nursing home are important. It's imperative that advocates, family members, and residents of long-term care facilities respond to CMS's request for information, including sharing their stories.
Make your voice heard by visiting our website to find instructions on how to respond, what to say, and information you can use to support your arguments. Respond by June 10, 2022.
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Call for Proposals for the 2022 Consumer Voice Annual Conference
Consumer Voice is accepting proposals to present during the 2022 Consumer Voice Annual Conference.
Each year, the Consumer Voice hosts a conference to educate and empower consumers and consumer advocates. The conference covers long-term care issues, including current trends, best practices, advocacy opportunities, and new research. Attendees have the opportunity to learn, network, and exchange ideas with advocates from all over the country.
The 2022 Conference will have an in-person and virtual component. In-person sessions will be held November 14-16 in Baltimore, MD. The virtual component, being held December 8-9, will include new live sessions, as well as a track of recorded sessions from the in-person conference. Participants can choose to register for the full conference (both in-person and virtual); or virtual only.
Read the instructions for submitting a proposal. You may submit more than one proposal. Proposals are due by June 10, 2022.
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New Podcast Episode on Untangling Nursing Home Staffing and Finances
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available. Research has shown that staffing in nursing homes - numbers of staff, skills mix, and training - are critical indicators of quality care and positive resident outcomes. Yet too many nursing homes are understaffed, and the long-term care industry claims it does not have the resources to hire more staff. But is that really true? Listen in for a discussion with David Brevda, Esq., Partner, Senior Justice Law Firm, and Robyn Grant, Director of Public Policy at Consumer Voice about how complex facility practices and resource allocation, combined with a lack of minimum standards, put residents at risk for poor care and bad outcomes; as well as recommendations for addressing these problems.
Subscribe to the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast in Apple Podcasts. Don't have an iPhone? Listen on SoundCloud, Facebook, or our website.
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Materials Available from Webinar Discussion on Treatment and Workplace Conditions for Direct Care Workers
Materials are available from a webinar from the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) and ADvancing States discussing treatment and workplace conditions for direct care workers. ADvancing States shared information from their recent work regarding workplace conditions, specifically about the treatment of direct care workers (DCWs) in long-term care settings. Directly related to the workforce issues, Consumer Voice staff shared information regarding the opportunity to comment in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) request for information about the implementation of a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes.
Find the recording and materials on NORC's website.
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Informational Webinar on Long-Term Care Equality Index
The Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI) is the national benchmarking tool for LGBTQ+ inclusion in senior housing and long-term care communities from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and SAGE. With free resources, webinars, and a biennial survey of LGBTQ+ best practices, the LEI assesses and helps communities implement, grow, and innovate their LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts. The 1st LEI Survey opens in August 2022.
Watch a webinar providing an overview of the criteria, the survey process, and tools to prepare for the August 2022 survey.
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