SEIU Local 1199WI

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End Short Staffing in Nursing Homes

SEIU in Wisconsin is fighting to improve Wisconsin's scandalously low nursing home staffing levels. Click on the links below to learn more about the short staffing crisis and what you can do about it.

The Krusick Bill: Legislation to Improve Nursing Home Staffing

State Representative Peggy Krusick (D-Milwaukee) with SEIU support, has introduced a bill to overhaul Wisconsin's badly inadequate and outdated nursing home staffing standard. As recommended by all serious researchers of staffing in nursing homes, the new standard would clearly establish how many caregivers should be on duty at any time. Read the Krusick Bill and articles about the bill.

Take Action!
Contact your Wisconsin State Senator and Representative and urge them to co-sponsor the Krusick Bill for better staffing in nursing homes. Need to find out how to contact your legislators?
Click Here.

Staffing Critical: A Report on
Wisconsin's Nursing Home Staffing Crisis

Wisconsin ranks 44th in the nation in direct care nursing home staffing levels. Despite rising acuity levels, Wisconsin staffing levels declined by 6% from 1997 to 1999. Consequently, "immediate jeopardy" violations, the most serious federal violation, increased 14 fold in Wisconsin from 1997 to 2000. Read this critical report on the state of Wisconsin's nursing homes and order copies to distribute to other concerned citizens.

Media Coverage of the Nursing Home Staffing Crisis

Nine out of ten nursing homes in America do not have enough staff to adequately take care of the residents according to a new study released by the Department of Health and Human Services. Read the New York Times article about this disturbing new study.

Accountability Not Handouts for Nursing Home Operators

The nursing home industry in Wisconsin has been clamoring for more money from the state to solve its many problems. However, recent history with financial relief shows that nursing home operators cannot be trusted to improve the quality of care for residents if given more money to do so. Read about how many Wisconsin nursing home operators illegally accepted "wage pass through" money from the state, but failed to give the money to the caregivers for whom it was intended.

State Investigating Loose Nursing Home Regulations

As any nursing home worker can tell you, management always knows when State regulators will visit their facility, and conditions are far better during the brief period when State inspectors are present than other times of the year. The State of Wisconsin's Legislative Audit Bureau is now conducting an investigation into Wisconsin's problem ridden nursing home regulatory system. Read SEIU's recommendations to the auditors and click here to send a message about inadequate regulations at the nursing homes where you live or work.

CMS's Report to Congress: Comprehensive
Research on Staffing and Quality of Care in Nursing Homes

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS - formerly HCFA) recently completed the most comprehensive analysis of nursing home staffing ever undertaken. The report confirms the rapidly growing national consensus that nursing homes are dangerously understaffed. Read the report.

Allies in Our Fight

When nursing home jobs are undesirable and staffing is inadequate it's the nursing home residents who get hurt. Fortunately, advocates for seniors and the disabled are working with SEIU in the fight for better staffing and better jobs for nursing home and other long term care workers. Visit the Direct Care Alliance web page for more information on our allies and their efforts.