Nursing home staff union calls for more input on task force
ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine launched the Nursing Home Quality and Accountability Task Force in February to study quality of life issues in the state’s nursing homes, but a union representing nursing home workers says staff members should have more input.
According to the governor’s website, Ohio ranked 39th in the most recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overall Quality Star Ratings, which scores all Medicare/Medicaid-funded nursing facilities between 1 and 5 stars on a variety of categories, including overall quality. Ohio’s average overall nursing home quality currently ranks in the bottom quartile of all states.
Additionally, the website states many of Ohio’s nursing facilities are inconsistent in their compliance with standards of care, being forced to correct the same deficiencies repeatedly.
Diane Twarog, administrative organizer for Service Employees International Union District 11, stopped by Park Health Center off of U.S. 40 in St. Clairsville on Tuesday to hand out informational leaflets. District 11 represents local housekeeping, dietary and laundry staff.
“This is just about Gov. DeWine’s task force and the fact that he’s going to talk to residents, he’s going to talk to residents’ families, he’s going to talk to administrators. However, if he’s going to talk to someone, shouldn’t it be the front-line workers?”
She said the union hopes to raise awareness to the governor.
“If you really want to get to the bottom of what the issues are in the nursing home, shouldn’t the workers have a seat at that table as well? They’re the ones doing the work day in and day out on a regular basis, and they know these residents better than anyone, and therefore they should be involved and have a seat at the table.”
She said she expects to see more, similar demonstrations throughout the state.
Twarog related some of the challenges faced by nursing home staff.
“The staffing is the biggest issue, and the lack of (staffing) in nursing homes all across the state of Ohio,” she said. “It’s been a constant struggle and there’s been a huge turnover, not in any one facility but across the state of Ohio in the nursing industry.
“The wages seem to be the biggest issue,” she said. “The average nursing home wage across Ohio is about $14 an hour for the work they do day-in, day-out. That’s not really enough money to incentivise anyone to go work in the industry.”
She said she expects the need for nursing home services to increase, while employee candidates will remain limited.
“I do believe demands are going up,” she said. “While they’re doing everything they can to make sure the residents are cared for, sometimes that resident just wants you to stop and talk to them for five or 10 minutes and the staff don’t have the ability to do that.”
She asks members of the public to reach out to DeWine’s office about the issue at 614-466-3555.
Dan Tierney, spokesman for DeWine’s office, responded to an emailed inquiry.
“The task force is on a listening tour, and any member of the public has the opportunity to testify or submit testimony, including nursing home staff members,” Tierney wrote.
According to the Ohio Department of Aging, last week the task force held a listening session in Dayton with more than 160 guests, including “residents of local nursing homes, their family members and friends, industry employees, and other interested community members.”
The task force has also met in Youngstown, Cincinnati, Columbus and Bowling Green, with more sessions scheduled at Nelsonville on April 6 and Cleveland on April 13.
Ursel J. McElroy, task force chairwoman and director of the Ohio Department of Aging, spoke at the Youngstown session.
“Our mission is clear: to speak with and gain insight from nursing home residents, caregivers, staff members, administrators, and so many more to gain a new, real-life understanding of their many rich experiences, and then to use those experiences to spur action.”
More information about the task force can be found at the Ohio Department of Aging’s website, aging.ohio.gov.