ADVISORY: June 28. 2023
Contact: Emily Dong, 267-761-1502; emily.dong@seiuhcpa.org
Caregivers Celebrate New Staffing Ratios Enacted in Pennsylvania Nursing Homes
Consumer advocacy groups, the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and the Department of Health will join workers cheering July 1st start of new regulations.
STATEWIDE, PA — On Friday, June 30th at 11:00 AM ET, nursing home workers and stakeholders will hold a virtual press conference to celebrate the kick-off of new staffing ratios designed to improve care for residents and seniors, which go into effect in Pennsylvania skilled nursing facilities on July 1st.Â
LTC Ombudsman Office Program Manager Becky Fortenbaugh, DOH Deputy Secretary for Quality Assurance Jeanne Parisi, and CARIE (Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders) Executive Director Whitney Lingle will join union caregivers to celebrate and discuss achieving the new standards for quality resident care.
The staffing ratios, passed by the Wolf Administration in 2022, are the first in the Commonwealth’s history to require a minimum number of nursing home caregivers per shift. The ratios were the result of advocacy by caregivers and consumer groups citing research that exposed the link between staffing levels and COVID outbreaks and deaths.
What: Virtual press conference to celebrate new staffing ratios in PA nursing homes
When: Friday, June 30, 2023 at 11am
Where: Via Zoom. Register HERE
(Event will be live-streamed on SEIU Healthcare PA’s Facebook page)
Who:Â
- Nursing home workers from the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh-New Castle areas. (There will also be workers from the Altoona, Easton, and Philadelphia areas available for comment)
- Matthew Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare PA
- Whitney Lingle, Executive Director of CARIE
- Becky Fortenbaugh, Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman
- Jeanne Parisi, PA Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Quality Assurance
**You may submit questions in advance to Emily Dong, emily.dong@seiuhcpa.org**
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SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania is the state’s largest and fastest-growing union of nurses and healthcare workers, uniting tens of thousands of professional and technical employees, direct care workers, and service employees in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home- and community-based services, and state facilities across the Commonwealth. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania members are committed to improving the lives of health care workers and ensuring quality care and healthy communities for all Pennsylvanians.Â