New Jersey’s State Leaders Need to Make the Sick and Elderly a Priority

New Jersey’s State Leaders Need to Make the Sick and Elderly a Priority

SEIU Healthcare New Jersey members are standing up for the sickest, poorest, seniors who would be put at risk with the proposed nursing home budget cuts!
New Jersey’s state leaders need to make the sick and elderly a priority. On February 27th, Governor Corzine released his State budget proposal with significant cuts to nursing homes. These cuts would hurt the sickest and oldest residents in New Jersey.

Nursing homes are under funded yet the most vulnerable depend on them. Seven out of ten nursing home residents in the state are in poverty and a higher percentage of the residents who are admitted need more critical care than ever before. That’s why we’re asking state leaders to prioritize nursing home care for the most vulnerable citizens that rely on this care.

Inadequate funding results in short staffing and quality of care problems. 90% of New Jersey’s nursing homes fall short of optimal staffing levels. Nursing home cuts would have a direct impact on the critical care tasks Certified Nursing Assistants provide:

Incontinent residents will not be changed, repositioned or toileted as often as needed.
Residents will not receive all the assistance with exercise they need each day.
Residents who need help with feeding will not get all the assistance they need for proper nutrition.
Many of the over 30,000 residents who need assistance with dressing and/or grooming in will have to wait longer for help.