Calif. CNAs Rally for Improved Nursing Home Staffing Standards

California certified nursing assistants (CNAs) voiced support for a bill that would increase the ratio of CNAs to nursing home residents at a rally in Compton on April 23.

The bill, SB 779, was introduced to the California legislature on February 27 to establish new minimum CNA staffing requirements for California nursing homes:

• one CNA for every 6 patients during the day shift,
• one CNA for every 8 patients during the evening shift, and
• one CNA for every 17 patients during the night shift.

“I have seen first-hand that the current staff-to-patient ratio for [CNAs] at many skilled nursing facilities is insufficient to ensure the quality of care we expect for our loved ones,” State Senator Isadore Hall (D), who introduced the bill to the state senate, said in a press release.

“The health and safety of patients in a skilled nursing facility must be a top priority and we must do more to ensure better care for them,” he continued. 

Various studies have shown that higher CNA staffing levels correlate with better care outcomes for residents.

— by Matthew Ozga