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Stuart, Greenwood pushing for nursing home care legislation

Belleville News-Democrat - 4/18/2017

April 18--COLLINSVILLE -- State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, and State Rep. Latoya Greenwood, D-East St. Louis, along with senior advocates are scheduled to speak in Collinsville about proposed legislation meant to enhance the quality of life of long-term care residents of nursing homes.

Stuart and Greenwood are scheduled to be joined by representatives from the Alzheimer's Association, and the Illinois Long-Term Care Ombudsman program in order to push for legislation to improve care for nursing home residents.

According to a news release from Stuart and Greenwood's offices, there was legislation passed in 2010 which required long-term care facilities to meet safe staffing levels proven to improve care and lower morbidity among long-term care residents.

However, more than one-third of nursing home facilities across Illinois continue to staff at "dangerously low levels and, making them poorly equipped to handle the care needs of residents with cognitive impairment, causing an improper discharge of residents to hospital psychiatric units."

Proposed legislation would prevent the growing practice of illegally discharging long-term care residents--and also address short-staffing by enforcing existing staffing level requirements with financial penalties, the news release said.

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