LANSING – State Representative Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) today voted for a plan that will protect seniors by increasing accountability and quality of care standards at nursing homes.
"Nursing home residents are our parents, our grandparents, our friends and our neighbors," said Valentine, a lead sponsor of the plan. "We must do everything we can to ensure their health and safety is protected. I am confident that this plan will help us to properly care for our seniors, by taking key steps toward improving patient safety and quality of care."
Testimony in front of the House Senior Health, Security and Retirement Committee has shown that current state law does not allow for strong enough oversight and enforcement of nursing homes owned by private equity firms. Such facilities have been equated with unacceptable care and conditions.
The plan passed by the House today takes aim at the issues raised in front of the Committee by:
- Requiring owners of nursing homes to disclose resources and be held accountable for delinquent care, and requiring owners to prove they have the proper resources to provide quality care.
- Triggering a change of ownership whenever a large corporation buys a nursing home, which will allow the Department of Community Health to decide whether to license the nursing home.
- Requiring that notice be given to residents and their relatives or guardians at least 30 days prior to a change of ownership, giving them time to make a decision to change facilities.
- Establishing penalties for nursing home employees or administrators who provide fraudulent information to nursing home surveyors or investigators.
- Requiring that every nursing home be properly insured.
"Simply put – nursing homes must be held to higher standards," Valentine said. "They need to be more concerned with patient care – not the bottom line. This plan is a step in the right direction, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take action to protect the well-being of our vulnerable residents."