Nursing Home Workers Rally For Increase In Staff Ratio
Video by Alyssa Nakamoto
Members of the SEIU United Long Term Health Care Workers rallied for an increase in the minimum ratio of staff to patients at Villa Maria Elena Care Center in Compton.
"Our care givers at the nursing homes are outnumbered by the number of patients they care for everyday," said union representative Felix Beltran.
Workers are pushing for Senate Bill 779, which requires a minimum of one certified nurse assistant (CNA) for every 6 patients during the day shift, one CNA for every 8 patients during the evening shift and one CNA for every 17 patients during the night shift.
The current staff-to-patient ratio makes certified nurse assistants' jobs difficult. The workers say health care facilities aren't supporting them. The administration at Villa Marina Elena Care Center was not available for comment at the time.
Workers who were rallying say it's the patients who suffer.
"Any of us could end up in a nursing home, and what type of care would you like to receive?" said Beltran. "The one where you're neglected not by choice, or the one where you are cared for and given quality care."
"They are the ones that are affected the most," said CNA Zenobia Lee. "They are the ones that are dependent on being cared for."
Senator Isadore Hall, III (D-35th District), who authored the bill, will introduce SB 779 in the Senate Health Committee next Wednesday. If it passes, the staff-to-patient ratio increase would go into effect July 2016.
I agree! my mother was in a "five star" rated SNF and they seemed to have a reasonable ratio of CNAs to patients, but often needed to grab a free CNA to do patient transfers, etc. Typical was a 1.5 hour wait after pushing call button to get mom transferred and into bed,changed, etc. However, this was what they would do to keep their stars. They would come quickly to "respond to the call light" and turn it off, and leave. I believe this was part of their scheme to keep their five stars...surface ploys. They would enter into their computerized care files... So watch for this...