Malcolm Kenyatta: Nursing home funding I voted for must be used to help workers and patients

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home workers have done an unbelievable job keeping their residents healthy and safe. We all remember the signs proclaiming that “a hero works here.” But they were not treated with a hero’s welcome, nor paid what they deserved.

They have had to work throughout the height of the pandemic, putting their own safety at risk to care for very vulnerable patients — all while being understaffed, overworked, and underpaid. More than 200,000 residents and staff of nursing homes died from COVID-19; that fact is astounding.

As a result of burnout from this stressful time, nursing homes are suffering from severe staffing shortages. In March 2022, more than one in four facilities said they were short on at least one type of staff — most often, the shortage was in aides such as certified nursing assistants — the backbone of staff at nursing homes, who provide much of the direct patient care.

As the son of a home health aide, I know firsthand the unacceptable poverty wages that nursing home workers are making. Growing up, my family struggled to make ends meet, and the pay my mother received from working as a home health aide wasn’t much help. It also was not sufficient given how much and hard she worked.

“I know firsthand the unacceptable poverty wages that nursing home workers are making.”

Sadly, nursing homes — and their staff — continue to struggle. I hear stories from certified nursing assistants in Pennsylvania who are so short on supplies that they are forced to rip up bedsheets to use as washcloths. I’ve heard of pantries at nursing homes that were so bare that workers resorted to rationing food for residents. To make matters worse, these diligent and committed workers tell me their employers withhold information about agency staffing usage and costs, despite numerous requests. This makes it impossible for union bargaining committees to properly negotiate over staffing and other issues.

I’ve been told that workers at some of the largest chains — Guardian, Comprehensive, and Priority Healthcare — let their contracts expire last month so they have the option to strike for better resident care if necessary. (Workers reached an agreement with Guardian earlier this week, although the terms were still unclear.)

These giant companies cannot continue to neglect the needs of their residents and underpay their precious staff, especially not after the hardship of the pandemic. It’s unacceptable.

I fought alongside many other elected officials, union nursing home workers, the governor’s administration, and the nursing home industry for a historic increase in funding for nursing homes. The most recent Pennsylvania budget, which I voted for, included an additional $600 million for our state’s nursing homes.

The question now is: What will nursing homes spend that money on?

I was relieved to see that nursing homes in the state must devote at least 70% of their budget to patient care, including, perhaps, higher wages for staff; a significant number of Pennsylvania facilities will have to adjust their spending to meet this requirement. But this new law doesn’t kick in until next year, and enforcement will take time, which would allow many providers to continue to deprioritize the people that matter most.

» READ MORE: Many Pa. nursing homes must spend more on patient care under new law

It’s critical that Pennsylvania’s nursing homes start using the extra money they have received exclusively on patients and staff now — not wait until 2023, or until state regulators come knocking.

The exodus of nurses, which is already a crisis across the commonwealth and nation, could reach even more critical levels. If nurses continue to be underpaid, overworked, and lack quality supplies, many will continue to quit, and I can’t blame them. However, this could be a calamity for nursing home residents because there will not be enough nurses on the job to keep them healthy and safe.

I believe that the employees in nursing homes have done so much to keep the residents safe, under incredibly challenging circumstances, and it is only right that their employers dedicate this boost in funding to patients and their staff. All of the money should go to higher wages for every person working in a nursing home, hiring more staff so no one is overworked, buying supplies for residents and staff, and providing better care to residents.

But unless we insist on this type of allocation, nursing home owners may use the money for the companies’ greed. For example, just last year a private company with financial ties to more than 100 nursing homes spent $70 million to acquire the nursing home chain Diversicare. That money should have been spent on workers and wages.

I’ve been at countless rallies with SEIU Healthcare, the largest union for health-care workers in Pennsylvania, and I’ve listened to members’ concerns and what they need to improve their work environment.

I am joining them in calling on nursing home employers to do what’s right and use this funding to take care of their employees and residents — now. The historic funding for nursing homes can make a massive impact in a positive way, and that is what must happen.

Malcolm Kenyatta is a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing District 181, which includes North Philadelphia.