A group of California lawmakers have joined together to create a sweeping legislative package as a part of the Prioritize Responsible Ownership, Treatment, Equity, & Corporate Transparency (PROTECT) Plan, aimed at dramatically improving nursing home facilities, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.

A set of new bills, known as the PROTECT Plan, have been proposed to improve the running of nursing homes thanks to the PROTECT Plan Coalition, a group of California lawmakers that includes Senator Henry Stern, D-Canoga Park.

Stern pointed out what he believed to be major flaws in the current state of skilled nursing facilities (SNF).

“Many large, for-profit SNF chains use complex ownership structures to increase their profitability by making it seem like their costs are external and unavoidable, while keeping the money all in dark recesses of the corporate family,” Stern said. “My bill SB 650 shines the bright light of day on this practice by requiring nursing home chains to place CPA verified financial reports on each individual facility’s website.”

Officials in the PROTECT Plan Coalition say that profit-driven nursing facilities have manipulated corporate structures to evade oversight.

“Caregivers put our lives on the line every day to protect the eldest and most vulnerable patients in this pandemic, and we didn’t have enough support, protection, or staff,” said Maria Ferguson, a Certified Nurse Assistant from Livermore. “The pandemic has made clear that nursing homes must be transformed.”

See Related: Assisted Living Locators Offers Resources To Help Protect Seniors At Skilled Nursing Facilities

One in four Californians who died during the COVID-19 pandemic were in a nursing home, an issue perpetrated due to the fact that “the profit-driven nursing home industry failed to keep our loved ones safe,” said Pat McGinnis, Executive Director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.

In order to combat perceived issues with the business practices of skilled nursing facilities, the Coalition has promoted several other bills aimed at fixing the problems.

According to Coalition officials, California Assembly Bill 1502 (AB 1502), “would reform ownership and management of skilled nursing facilities by establishing suitability standards for persons and entities seeking to own, operate, or manage skilled nursing facilities in California and directing the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to thoroughly screen all applicants and related parties.”

Another bill, Assembly Bill 749 (AB 749), targets the qualifications of SNF medical directors in California, and would “require nursing home medical directors to be certified by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine,” Coalition officials describe.

The PROTECT Plan package is reportedly supported by AARP, California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, and SEIU California, among other groups.

Watch the full PROTECT Plan video here.

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