Syracuse, NY – Despite frigid temperatures, a contingency of Nursing Home workers marched to Senator Valesky’s district office today to deliver over 600 letters urging the Senator to support the Quality Standards legislation included in Governor Cuomo’s 2014 budget.



With the managed care delivery system for Medicaid benefits set to begin this fall, nursing homes may be forced to accept significantly lower reimbursements resulting in cuts to staffing, wages and benefits, and ultimately damaging the quality of care provided to residents. Damien Jennings, an Activity Aid at Valleyview Nursing Home in Norwich, summed it up, “in order to maintain quality care for the residents, we must be able to maintain quality staff.”



Quality Standards legislation would act as a safeguard requiring nursing homes contracted with managed care companies to pay at least the standard compensation, based on existing wages and benefits.



“We should not be competing on who can provide the cheapest care for those who need it most,” said Melissa Johnson, a CNA at St. Luke’s Nursing Home in Oswego, NY.



Senator Valesky seemed to be cautiously supportive of the legislation, “It certainly makes sense,” he said after listening to our concerns, “It’s certainly something conceptually that I would like to help get accomplished this year.” He also reminded the group that “it’s still early” in the budget process and there are still things that need to be figured out.



“Our residents are like our family,” Johnson continued, “They deserve the utmost care possible and if we don’t have the ability to care for them they aren’t going to get it anywhere else.”