RICHMOND — What is the quality of Virginia’s nursing homes? If you ask one advocate, he says “bad.”
Jared Calfee, state advocacy director for AARP Virginia, said nursing home inspectors are “woefully” behind.
A possible legislative fix is a bill that would update what Calfee called the outdated fee structure for medical facilities.
The Virginia Department of Health would use those extra funds to increase recruitment and retention of inspectors. Calfee added understaffing can lead to worsening health for nursing home residents.
“What we know is that understaffing leads to negative outcomes, like pressure sores, falls, and ultimately sickness, and even death in a lot of cases,” said Calfee. “And so the best thing that we can do for nursing home residents is ensure that there is adequate staff to provide quality care in our facilities.”
The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission finds that nearly 40% of nursing homes are in need of their biennial state licensing inspection.
And the Commonwealth has the sixth highest proportion of nursing homes that have not been inspected within two years.
Another budget proposal would include $3.5 million to train Virginians as certified nurse aides, or CNAs.
CNAs provide the bulk of assistance within nursing facilities. Calfee said this small budget ask could have big impacts for nursing home staff.
“This is a high-demand area where we badly need staff,” said Calfee, “so a program like this could take a relatively small amount of money, and hopefully infuse the workforce with badly needed staff — to make sure that our nursing homes can staff adequately.”
A Virginia Health Care Association survey in 2022 found that 93% of facilities in the Commonwealth have openings for CNAs.
