PROVIDENCE – The General Assembly approved legislation Thursday that would establish a 13-member advisory board to keep state leaders informed on the conditions of Rhode Island’s nursing homes.
The bill sponsored by Sen. Bridget Valverde, D-North Kingstown, and Rep. Scott Slater, D-Providence, is meant to help state leaders understand the challenges nursing home staff face and create solutions for them and patients.
“Nursing homes and their employees are an integral part of our state’s health care system, but their ability to deliver the quality care that our residents need and deserve is at risk,” Slater said. “This bill will help ensure that our nursing home workers have the resources that they need in order to properly care for and support our loved ones while also being able to provide for themselves and their families.”
The advisory board will have three members representing nursing home employers, three representing nursing home workers, two representing community organizations that work with the Medicaid population, one representing a joint labor-management multi-employer nonprofit training fund as well as representatives of the Health and Human Services secretary, the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, the R.I. Department of Health and the Long-Term Care State Ombudsman.
The board will advise the General Assembly and Department of Labor and Training on market conditions, wages, benefits and working conditions in the nursing home industry. It will also recommend minimum statewide compensation and working standards for nursing home workers, propose minimum standards for nursing home training programs and help make sure employers comply with recommended standards.
“Rhode Islanders who work in nursing homes do a very critical job, often under high pressure and without as many resources or the level of pay that they really deserve,” Valverde said. “Ensuring the safety and well-being of our family members in nursing homes means providing proper support and training to the people who care for them. This new board will give state leaders insight into the conditions and challenges in our state’s nursing homes so we can work to effectively address them.”
The legislation, which sunsets the board effective July 1, 2027, was supported by groups such as SEIU Local 1199NE, a union representing staff at some Rhode Island nursing homes and Raise the Bar on Resident Care, a coalition of nursing home caregivers, residents, family members and community members.
Jesse Martin, executive vice president of SEIU 1199 New England, and a member of Raise the Bar on Resident Care, noted that in 2023 Minnesota created its own Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board and recently voted to raise wages to over $23 an hour in 2027 and guarantee 11 paid holidays for caregivers.
"Here in Rhode Island, the Workforce Standards Board is a critical step toward transforming nursing home jobs into sustainable careers that can support a family and provide quality resident care," Martin said, calling on Gov. Daniel J. McKee to sign the bill into law.
Diane Santos, a member of Raise the Bar and Senior Agenda Coalition board chair, said it's important with the state's aging population expected to grow.
"[The bill] is critical to bring all interested stakeholders to the table to ensure the highest quality care is being provided for our vulnerable nursing home residents which requires staff to be adequately trained and compensated," Santos said. "This is especially important as our older population is growing, the number of persons with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease is projected to increase and we have more residents with behavioral health issues being admitted to our nursing homes.”
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
