Sunday, April 25, 2010

CA Nursing Homes Cut Staff/Wages, Reap Profits

California's nursing homes have reaped $880 million in additional funding from a 2004 state law designed to help them hire more caregivers and boost wages.

But about a quarter of the state's homes flouted the law's purpose. They cut staff or slashed wages, while padding their bottom lines, a California Watch investigation has found.

The 232 homes that made those cuts — including 20 in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties — collected about $236 million through 2008, the last year of available data. And the law that made it all possible included few safeguards to ensure it was spent as intended.

About two dozen homes that made the deepest caregiver cuts had about a third more deficiencies than other state facilities, California Watch found. Violations ranged from neglecting bedsores to giving patients the wrong drugs.

Overall, regulators documented nearly 1,000 deficiencies for inadequate care in California nursing homes in 2008 — a 65 percent increase compared with 2005.

"There was an implicit good faith agreement that things would get better "... and that was broken," said state Sen. Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose, chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee.

But James Gomez, chief executive of the state's nursing home trade organization, said the 2004 law has led to a 6 percent increase in average staffing for nursing homes.

Full Article and Source:
Nursing Homes Received Millions from California Taxpayers While Cutting Staff, Services

7 comments:

jerri said...

oh what a surprise! now what?

Betty said...

It wasn't that long ago I heard a person say, "The nursing home can't afford to hire enough aides"

Ha.

Max said...

Good article. Thanks.

Chloe said...

It's all about profit - always.

Anonymous said...

And the CEO's? What are they making?

Sue said...

These people make the WALL STREET bunch look like Girl Scouts. Look what's waiting for US. Better get working on early way out when time comes or people will be reading about YOU!

Holly said...

Greed, at the expense of human lives. It's happening everywhere... Nursing Homes, Guardianships, Conservators... the Elderly are being neglected and exploited. It is happening to my mother in Florida. Having tried to find assistance with every government agency I could think of, to no avail... I thank God for NASGA and the members.