Institute for Policy Studies’ Inequality.org newsletter | November 1, 2023
“I walk out of work each morning feeling like my best wasn’t enough,” certified nurse aide Shelly Hughes told a recent Congressional hearing. “I’ve dedicated my life to this work, but because of short staffing I feel helpless and defeated.”
Hughes regularly faces the daunting responsibility of juggling care for more than 30 residents on the night shift at a Washington State nursing home. She’s seen how “low staffing leads to even more low staffing” because it drives frustrated employees to quit. The problem is particularly severe at private equity-owned nursing homes fixated on maximizing profits and manufacturing billionaires.
The good news? The Biden administration recently proposed a first-ever rule mandating minimum staffing ratios for skilled nursing facilities. Hughes and other nursing home aides are working with Americans for Financial Reform and SEIU to make this regulation as strong as possible.
View Shelly’s full testimony at the Energy & Commerce website.