As regular readers of this blog or, frankly, anyone who follows the nursing home industry in any meaningful way knows, there is currently an epidemic of nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect not only in the United States, but across the globe.
Most people would say that this is a time to ensure that nursing home administrators are extremely knowledgeable, ready to implement new ideas and conduct regular evaluations of processes already in place.
Unfortunately, some see this epidemic as an opportunity to cut regulations, lowering the bar for nursing home administrators and staff at precisely the wrong time.
Most states require that nursing home administrators have, at least, a four year degree as well as pass a series of examinations.
In Oklahoma, the state Legislature is seeking to pass a bill that would eliminate any kind of secondary education for nursing home administrators.
The executive director of the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Long-Term Care Administrators, Gaylord Thomas, pulled no punches while talking to the Tulsa World:
“We’re just setting up the profession to fail and we’re setting up a lot of people to have some substandard care,” he said. “That should not happen.”
Hiring a college educated person to administer your nursing home is more expensive than hiring a person with a high school degree. If this seems like small potatoes, remember that there are over 300 nursing homes in Oklahoma, but there are over 15,000 in the United States.
To paraphrase the late Everett Dirksen: a million here and a million there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money!
Many nursing home chains have facilities in many states. Oklahoma is merely the first battle of many.
This issue should be one that everyone can support. Even if you don’t currently have a loved one in a nursing home, many of us will spend time there eventually. Ensuring that you have quality care is the goal of all of our Chicago nursing home lawyers.
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