Career Nursing Assistants Network of N. Carolina

North Carolina Crisis Understaffing of Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers in our Hospitals and Nursing Homes Is Patients and Residents abuse. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services/ Office of Long Term Care reported in a study that North Carolina will need more than 30,850 additional nursing assistants and direct care workers by 2008, particularly to provide long-term care. The Wake Forest University�s School of Medicine panel of experts in August of 2001 concluded that a lack of funding, training and professional respect has hindered job growth in a service that only will expand as Baby Boomers reach retirement age. The report noted that in North Carolina fewer than 300 are enrolled in the state�s community colleges to become certified nursing assistants and/or direct care workers. Dr. Charles H.Roadman ll, M.D. President and CEO of American Health Care Association said (in an article Under funding of Medicaid Exacerbates Staffing Crisis) �2002 is the year we must all work together in a positive, bipartisan and collaborative manner to invest the resources necessary to properly fund Medicaid and Medicare. By doing so, we can improve staffing levels and the overall quality of care for America�s frail and elderly.� Medicaid presently pays slightly more than $4.50 per hour, per patient, for shelter, meals, labor costs, and special care. Medicaid cuts scheduled for October 1st in Congress will impact staffing in a negative manner. A research study by Peter D. Hart Research Associates �The Staffing Crisis for Health Professionals� said that staffing shortages are compromising the quality of health care provided, and even putting patients at risk. Beyond the staffing problems, certified nursing assistants perceive a broader shortage of qualified Direct Care Workers, in their fields, caused by unsatisfactory working conditions. Indeed, inadequate staffing has itself become a cause of recruitment and retention problems. North Carolina rules for patient and resident care says that �The facility shall ensure that each patient receives adequate supervision and assistance to prevent accidents and abuse. This includes willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment with resulting physical harm or mental anguish. A report, (ordered by Congress and prepared by the U.S. Department and Human Services) found �strong and compelling� evidence that health care facilities with a low ratio of nursing personnel to patients were more likely to provide substandard care. Patients and residents in these facilities were more likely to experience bedsores, malnutrition, weight loss, dehydration, pneumonia and serious blood �borne infections. In most facilities, the report stated, a patient needs an average of 4.1 hours of care each day �2.8 hours from Certified Nursing Assistants and 1.3 hours from registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. Dr. John F. Schnelle, a co-author of the report, said the recommendation would require facilities to have one Certified Nursing Assistant for every five or six residents. (This information is taken from an article in the New York Times dated February 18,2002 and written by Robert Pear.) Career Nursing Assistants Network believe that all patients and residents deserve courteous, professional appropriate care and quality of life within every healthcare system, and nursing homes, hospitals, and health care facilities administrators are responsible for scheduling the trained staff to provide quality care for Patients and Residents. We also believe that realistic staffing levels are paramount in protecting patient and residents from injury, confinement, and mental anguish. Career Nursing Assistants are instrumental in promoting and safeguarding the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the patients and residents. Career Nursing Assistants must do our part in getting the attention of policymakers. We are asking Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Worker to register to Vote and get friends of Nursing Assistants to sign our Petition for Patient and Resident Rights declaring Medicare cuts are recreating staffing shortages and understaffing of Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers constitutes Patient and Resident Abuse.

Follow-ups:

• Application to register to vote can be found...    c'est moi (5/27/2002 3:21:25 AM)
• RE: Application to register to vote can be found...    c'est moi (5/27/2002 3:24:16 AM)