Scroll below to see the full testimony from our nursing home leader, Tyreika Tate, a dietary worker in Erie for 36-years
Watch video from the hearing: President Matt Yarnell’s remarks at 31:30; and Tyreika Tate speaks at 1:36:00
Pennsylvania’s nursing homes are in crisis. Seniors and other residents are not receiving the care they need and over 14,000 died of COVID. Caregivers have been stretched to the breaking point after decades of understaffing, poverty wages, lack of affordable healthcare, and a pandemic that took an unimaginable physical, mental, emotional, and financial toll on the workforce.
We need a strong workforce to care for our residents and cannot do that if we can’t recruit and retain caregivers.
That’s why SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania nursing home leaders testified at the Democratic Policy Committee Hearing, “Solutions around Nursing Home Funding Reform,” which was chaired by Senator Katie Muth and State Senator Wayne Fontana, the Caucus Chair.
Caregivers and elder care advocates are calling for a $350 million increase in Medicaid funding which would be matched dollar for dollar by the federal government to add $700 million to long term care facilities, and transparency to ensure dollars go to bedside care. It’s an investment that will save lives and ensure quality care for Pennsylvania’s growing senior population.
Pennsylvania’s nursing home workforce is rapidly being depleted because of poverty wages. Short staffing begets even more shortages in a vicious downward spiral as even experienced and highly-skilled caregivers leave the workforce feeling exhausted and utterly disrespected by managers and owners.
Matt Yarnell, a former nursing home CNA and now the President of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania spoke at the hearing:
The state must invest in resident care to fund safe staffing and high-quality jobs for caregivers. In a world where Amazon and Walmart are paying $15 an hour, we can’t expect nursing home staff to do some of the most demanding and difficult work in the Commonwealth for $12 an hour.
We need to ensure decent working conditions for caregivers. That means more staffing, better working conditions, and higher wages. We believe that achieving this will require an investment of $350 million annually from the state, which will be matched by federal Medicaid dollars for a total investment of over $700 million.
We also believe that we can’t fund long-term reform with short-term money. We’re not asking for another one-time bailout. The state needs a permanent rate increase to sustain change over the long term.
But this funding must come with accountability. In an industry where most nursing facilities are for-profit, and private equity plays a growing role, it is vital to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent on resident care, not corporate profits. Too often, we’ve seen money intended for resident care siphoned off to pay for inflated rents, related-party transactions and executive bonuses.
Tyreika Tate, a dietary worker and cook for 36-years at Walnut Creek Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Erie testified about the scope of the staffing crisis:
When workers feel like we are so disrespected, and simply don’t earn enough money to stay on the job, and can find other less stressful work – then you understand the seeds of this short-staffing crisis.
I’ve been in this industry for decades and although staffing has always been bad — the lights are blinking red.
Our lawmakers must take urgent action. My fear – and I hope yours too — is a continued and sustained reduction of our nursing home workers without any ability to replace us.
A press release from the Democratic Policy Committee after the hearing stated: “Pennsylvania’s nursing homes are some of the most expensive in the US; yet many are struggling to remain afloat financially, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only compounded and added to the many difficulties facing our nursing homes and their employees,” Senator Muth said. “ We also discussed solutions to improve transparency and the need to show how dollars are being spent, and the need to ensure dollars are directed to increased funding for wages and direct care staff, rather than profits.” (Emphasis added).
In the wake of the pandemic, states across the country are demanding more accountability from nursing home operators, and several states have enacted a simple yet transformative reform: requiring that nursing homes spend a certain percentage of their total revenue on patient care.
Massachusetts now requires that nursing homes spend 75% of their revenue on care. New York State requires that nursing homes spend 70% of revenue on patient care, with a further requirement that 40% of revenue be spent on patient-facing direct care staff. And in New Jersey nursing homes are required to spend 90% of revenue on patient care.
Complete Testimony From Tyreika Tate, Dietary Worker
A respected workforce — is a reliable workforce.
But our nursing home workers are overworked and underpaid.
We are a workforce that is exhausted and paid poverty wages.
We are watching a short-staffing crisis right before our eyes and our nursing home workforce is becoming hollowed out.
Directly paying frontline workers fair and living wages, and directing more resources to the bedside to care for our residents is the immediate solution to address our staffing crisis.
That’s why I’m thankful to speak to today and appreciate Senator Fontana for organizing this important policy hearing, and for all the lawmakers in attendance.
My name is Tyreika Tate, and I have worked at my nursing home, Walnut Creek Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Erie with the Dietary Department for 36 years.
Yes, you heard that right, 36 years.
I work as a cook in the dietary department making meals for 108 residents, and other staff members.
It is a huge responsibility that often becomes overwhelming.
Because our CNAs, LPNs, and support staff are stretched so thin a single incident with one of our residents can throw off our entire eating and service schedule, which creates chaos within our facility.
There is simply no slack in the system.
Let me emphasize that we are talking about our residents, seniors and those who are often vulnerable, who need our care and attention.
Caregiving is a team sport.
But when workers feel like we are so disrespected, and simply don’t earn enough money to stay on the job, and can find other less stressful work – then you understand the seeds of this short-staffing crisis.
I’ve been in this industry for decades and although staffing has always been bad — the lights are blinking red.
Our lawmakers must take action.
My fear – and I hope yours too — is a continued and sustained reduction of our nursing home workers without any ability to replace us.
And from the point of view of a caregiver, right now, why would someone sign up?
Nursing home workers are being asked to do the hardest job in America where we are short-staffed, given poverty-pay, our jobs are physically and emotionally demanding, and then we often feel disrespected by managers and nursing home owners.
We are the ones who get blamed — even though we’re the ones without the resources to do our jobs and give our residents the care they deserve.
The solution is clear.
It is urgent that our state lawmakers invest more Medicaid funding – to the tune of $350 million dollars which would be matched by the federal government – to provide ALL nursing home workers a higher wage.
Retaining skilled, experienced, and dedicated caregivers, like me and my co-workers — across all job titles — is the single best way to protect our residents and improve our quality care.
Any new Medicaid funding MUST go directly to our essential workers — and not used in any way for a bailout to the nursing home industry, for executive bonuses, or financial schemes that rewards owners instead of caregivers.
Other states have figured this out – which other speakers have addressed.
Pennsylvania can – and MUST raise wages for nursing workers.
I have the honor of knowing several co-workers of mine who have also served at Walnut Creek for over three decades.
And at least three of my co-workers who work as CNAs have asked to be reassigned to other departments simply because the short-staffing and overbearing workload was too much.
Poverty wages are fueling this downward spiral.
Think of your own family members: would any one of you want your family member to be placed in a facility where there are simply not enough workers to attend to their care?
Of course not.
We simply can’t keep losing good workers and not think this won’t have a profound negative impact on our residents.
I am proud to stand with my SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania Union when we call upon everyone – especially our state lawmakers to take urgent action.
It is vital that our lawmakers: Respect us. Protect us.
And yes PAY US!
Thank you.