Two statewide South Dakota medical groups are warning that proposed federal staffing standards for nursing homes that accept Medicaid funding would have a large detrimental impact on such facilities.
The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations and South Dakota Health Care Association both weighed in on the topic with legislators at a committee meeting at the Capitol on the sustainability of long-term care in the state.
South Dakota Searchlight reported the new federal rules would require a registered nurse to be on duty 24/7, which is triple the time of the current requirement of eight hours a day, seven days a week.
One of the association leaders said just above 5 percent of South Dakota nursing homes currently meet the proposed minimum staffing standards. That would mean a huge majority of South Dakota facilities would have challenges to hire additional nursing staff.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimate around 75% of nursing homes in the United States would need to increase hiring to achieve the minimum staffing requirements. CMS said the staffing standards are intended to provide safer, improved patient care.
SDHCA Executive Director Mark Deak said nursing homes are struggling for solid ground after the coronavirus pandemic, with one confounding factor being low state reimbursement rates for Medicaid. The new staffing requirements do not come with federal funding to meet them, and Deak said it will be hard to find enough workers.
Speakers told the committee members that nursing homes could close. Eighteen nursing homes have closed in South Dakota since 2015, often citing workforce and reimbursement issues.
In other news, the Sioux City Police Department is out with a reminder that some drivers are ignoring the law that says they are not to pass stopped school buses.
The department wants students to be safe while being picked up or dropped off by school buses. Two citations were given last week to drivers who did not stop for buses with flashing lights and extended stop signs, and more incidents are being investigated.
Sergeant Mark Huberty told Siouxland Public Media that people need to remember that they can’t pass stopped buses from either direction. Huberty noted the fines for violations are expensive, running up to roughly $900. Offenders are also at risk of having driving privileges suspended for 30 days by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
He added that law enforcement and school districts have a modern arsenal in their quest to pinpoint offenders. Many school buses now have video cameras that can record images of the vehicle passing stopped buses, including capturing the license plate numbers.
Additionally, the fall farming harvest season is underway, and Radio Iowa reports that the past weekend rain, while much needed amid an extended drought, slowed harvest activities.
U.S. Department of Agriculture reports cited two days of work lost due to the rain. The corn harvest in Iowa is now 9 percent complete, yet still six days ahead of last year.
For soybeans, 11 percent has been harvested, which is three days ahead of last year.
