PROVIDENCE -- Governor Carcieri today proposed new legislation that
would strengthen the state's role in regulating nursing homes, after a
recent nursing home closure highlighted the inadequate treatment some
patients have received.
The bill would make nursing home owners more accountable, give the state
more authority to intervene on behalf of a patient, and would allow the
state to investigate the finances of some facilities.
"There is no excuse for poor care," Carcieri said.
The governor said the proposed reforms had been under discussion for
some time. Drafts of the proposed legislation are in the works, for
introduction in the next legislative session.
The state Department of Health licenses and regulates the 101 nursing
homes in the state.
Carcieri has also requested an internal review of how state health
inspectors carried out their duties with regard to the Hillside Health
Center in Providence, which closed in May after running out of money.
"It has become clear the state government needs to take a more active,
even aggressive, role in ensuring that nursing homes are operated
properly," Carcieri said.
Referring to a Sunday Journal investigative story about a patient at
Hillside, Carcieri said, “There is no doubt that Germaine Morsilli and
other patients with chronic or recurring problems deserved better care
than they received. There is no doubt that the operators at Hillside
failed in their contractual duty – and their moral duty – to provide
quality care.”
He has also asked that the Department of Health prepare a plan for
stepped-up inspections of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Carcieri also plans to ask the General Assembly to authorize more money
to hire additional personnel at the department.
Noting that his own mother-in-law was placed in a nursing home, Carcieri
said he understood how difficult and emotional such a decision can be
for the families.
"Families depend on us," he said, adding, "We're doing to do what we
need to do."
-- With projo.com and Journal staff reports
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