EDITORIAL: No lazy solutions on nursing home staffing

April 23-- Apr. 23--In yet another nod to the newly Democratic-controlled Assembly and Senate, it seems the "safe staffing" bill that did not get passed will get a good hard look. It should look in other directions.

Plans are in place for the New York State Health Department to embark upon a study this year to determine whether nursing homes and hospitals should be required to meet minimum staffing levels.

No surprise, unions support it; industry -- which estimates the cost at an extra $1 billion annually that would be paid by taxpayers through increased Medicaid payments -- is balking.

Lawmakers deferred decision-making and ordered the study in a bill that was approved as part of the state budget. The Health Department is tasked with examining staffing ratios in relation to how they would affect both the staff and the quality of care for patients. The study must also include the costs for such a measure. The study is supposed to be completed by the end of the year.

Currently, nursing homes are required only to have "sufficient" staffing levels. Families, patient advocates and unions believe that structure creates staff shortages and an inadequate amount of time spent on patient care.

Concerns about loved ones forced to rely on overworked staff are inevitable. The Buffalo News has documented several disturbing instances of substandard care that has harmed residents.

But treating all nursing homes the same is a lazy response. Nursing home owners who provide high-quality care want flexibility in running their operations. Their case is not only reasonable, but important.

Albany should consider an oversight system similar to the one used for the state's under-performing public schools, which are subject to receivership and oversight.

Moreover, nursing homes are ranked for quality. When one is failing, and putting patients and staff at risk, governmental institutions should step in. But The News found that the state Health Department often fails to verify and act on complaints of inadequate staffing and nursing homes in Erie and Niagara counties. That's a good place for Albany to begin implementing improvements

The goal of quality care is important and universal. Frail and elderly New Yorkers should not be cast into institutions that put their health and safety at risk. How that is accomplished remains the continuing subject of debate. Perhaps the study will suggest some solutions that both unions and industry can agree upon.

___

(c)2019 The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.)

Visit The Buffalo News (Buffalo, N.Y.) at www.buffalonews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.