For $13.23 an Hour, Nursing Home Workers in RI Face Disease, Outbreaks and Uncertain Future
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
The cycle continues. Disease, outbreaks, and $13.23 an hour in pay for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working at places like Bannister House is Rhode Island's reality.
The New York corporation who now operates Bannister has now branded it “Bannister Center.”
At nursing homes across Rhode Island, CNAs provide the majority of the care to patients — those at the end of life and for those residents seeking rehabilitative services.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBannister's parent company Centers Health Care operates homes around the country, and it has a number of significant blemishes on its record including problems at Bannister and other facilities in Rhode Island.
The one thing the corporation does have is a big sponsorship of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team — the corporation is the official “Trusted Rehab Partner” of the NHL team.
GoLocal’s unveiling Friday the newest coronavirus outbreak — 26 cases at Bannister — puts the focus back on the industry, raises more questions about staffing, and low pay.
Bannister - Hit Hard
Bannister has been cited numerous times by federal regulators for violations before the coronavirus hit. It was an early hotspot for the virus and is now suffering through another outbreak.
“I am aware of 26 cases now and we are waiting for more tests to come back. There are no staff infections yet this time,” said Adanjesus Marin, Lead Organizer for SEIU 1199NE who represents the workers at Bannister.
“Bannister has long been a place with short staffing and has only gotten worse,” said Marin. He said that since the coronavirus hit Rhode Island 20 staffers have been infected and the facility’s 65-year-old receptionist died of the disease.
Marin said the problems are pronounced and the corporate ownership refused to unlock personal protection equipment (PPE) when then first outbreaks hit.
“I have been a caregiver for 15 years and I know the staffing shortage did not just happen with COVID-19, we have been dealing with it for many years,” said Shirley Lomba, a CNA at Bannister Center. “Recently, I had to admit my own mother into Bannister Center where I work - she would call me 2-3 times a week because no one could answer her call light in a timely manner. No one should have to wait an hour just to use the bathroom. None of us want to go on strike but we desperately need change and we need it now.”
A federal inspection in December of 2019 -- before the virus hit -- unveiled 16 violations including at least one highly serious with a resident “in jeopardy.” The previous federal inspection in February of 2018 found 13 violations. A February of 2020 inspection found four violations.
Strike and Legislation
Pending is a strike by SEIU workers at a number of nursing homes including Bannister on August 5, beginning at 6:00 AM.
With CNAs beginning salary at $13.23, Bannister’s owners have offered a $0.20 an hour raise according to Marin.
Rhode Island currently ranks 41st in the country, and last in New England, for the average number of hours nursing home residents receive.
Legislation intended to increase the number of staff hours has passed the Senate. But the legislation appears to be dead in the House under Speaker Nicholas Mattiello. He has pushed a study commission on the issue — a legislative death knell.
In announcing the study commission, Mattiello’s number two, House Majority Leader Joe Shekarchi said, “Rhode Island’s nursing homes are facing tremendous challenges. COVID-19 has placed their residents and workers in potential danger, Medicaid reimbursement has been dramatically reduced, and it is difficult to hire and retain the necessary amount of staffers to deliver the care that patients deserve. This is a complex issue that needs to be studied and addressed so that the nursing homes, their patients, and their staff are properly supported and fully operational.”
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