FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 2, 2018

Contact:
Bryn Lloyd-Bollard
bryn.lloydbollard@1199.org
732-606-5949

1199SEIU Applauds NJ Senate for Passing Nursing Home Safe Staffing Bill

TRENTON, NJ—On Sunday, July 1, the New Jersey Senate voted 22-15 to pass bill S1612 to establish minimum certified nursing assistant (CNA)-to-patient ratios in nursing homes, taking a critical step towards improving care for the state’s 44,000 nursing home residents.

Currently, New Jersey nursing homes rank 44th in the nation for CNA staffing hours per resident, according to data for Centers from Medicare and Medicaid Services.

CNAs are the primary direct care workforce in nursing homes and are responsible for assisting patients will all their activities of daily living—feeding, dressing, bathing, turning patients in their beds to prevent pressure sores, and providing emotional support and comfort. Without sufficient frontline staff, caregivers say that patients are put at risk and workers are unable to provide the type of quality care their patients depend on every day.

Bill S1612/A382 would establish ratios of 1 CNA per 8 residents on the morning shift, 1 CNA per 10 residents in the afternoon/evening, and 16 residents per CNA overnight. These ratios are comparable to ratios established in other states including Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, and South Carolina.

“I have seen patients develop deep wound issues because they have spent too much time lying down due to short staffing,” said Sherry McGhie, a CNA from Paterson, NJ. “Short staffing wears and tears on our own bodies, too. I’ve witnessed aides show up to work and go out on stretchers because their blood pressure is sky high from being so overworked. This is unacceptable and needs to change.”

“The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU are deeply thankful for the leadership of Senate President Sweeney and the bill sponsors for their dedication to protecting the wellbeing of nursing home patients and their caregivers,” said Milly Silva, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU. “Many New Jersey nursing homes are dangerously understaffed, which undermines caregivers’ ability to deliver care in the safest manner possible. It’s time we respect and honor the dignity of our state’s seniors and sign this bill into law. We look forward to the vote in the Assembly.”

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1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in New Jersey and nationwide. We represent over 16,000 healthcare families in New Jersey and over 400,000 total members throughout New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Florida, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to achieve quality care and good jobs for all.