February 28, 2022 – The COVID-19 pandemic exposed longstanding problems in nursing homes that can only be addressed through systemic reform at the federal level. Today, the White House announced important initiatives that can improve the care, quality of life, and dignity for millions of vulnerable nursing home residents, now and in the future.
A White House statement details key reforms that aim to protect vulnerable residents and hold nursing homes accountable when they fail to follow federal requirements for resident care.
These important initiatives include:
- Ensuring Taxpayer Dollars Support Nursing Homes That Provide Safe, Adequate, and Dignified Care;
- Enhancing Accountability and Oversight;
- Increasing Transparency;
- Creating Pathways to Good-paying Jobs with the Free and Fair Choice to Join a Union; and
- Ensuring Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness in Nursing Homes.
“This is the biggest and most positive news for nursing home residents in the 35 years since Ronald Reagan signed the Nursing Home Reform Act,” said Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition. “For years, we have watched as an increasingly sophisticated and corporatized industry has, too often, cut back on staffing and essential services to maximize profits. We are profoundly grateful to the President for taking this bold stand for vulnerable residents, their families, and American taxpayers, who foot the bill for most nursing home care.”
The Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving care and quality of life for residents in long-term care, strongly supports these initiatives.
Learn more about LTCCC’s long-term care reform priorities at https://nursinghome411.org/reform.