While frontline workers in other sectors are being thanked during the pandemic, those in the eldercare field are being ridiculed or worse, notes William “Bill” McGinley. And the American College of Health Care Administrators’ president and CEO is having none of it.
“Nursing centers have been last on the list to receive needed protective supplies, testing and support,” he wrote in a recent blog for sister media brand McKnight’s Long-Term Care News.
The reward for those on the front lines putting their lives at risk is to “be vilified in the media and punished by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,” he added.
“While hospital workers are lauded as heroes, nursing home workers are hardly mentioned except as a footnote to the rising body count. In Washington state, CMS fined Life Care Center of Kirkland $600,000. What is this intended to accomplish? Is it any wonder that staff are stressed and some in leadership positions are contemplating leaving the field?” McGinley asked.
“Our nursing home and long-term care staff need personal protective equipment and testing now! Our regulators must work with us on both the state and federal levels to ensure that nursing homes are provided with clear concise guidance and a collaborative work environment. Our employees are truly on the front line of this battle and they deserve our recognition and our praise,” he added.
