NURSING HOME REFORM: Changes Long Overdue
Declaring that "a society is ultimately judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members," the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday commended the state Legislature's approval of a bill designed to improve the care provided by California's nursing homes. The measure would "impose tougher standards on nursing homes ... mandat[ing] higher wages, additional staffing and training and greater state oversight." In addition, the state would conduct random inspections to ensure compliance, with violators subject to stiffer fines. "The ease with which the bill sailed through the legislature illustrates strong bipartisan support that flows from heightened public concern about the sorry state of many nursing homes," the editorial says, urging Gov. Gray Davis to sign it despite his concerns about its potential costs. "Raising health and safety standards in California's nursing homes is a moral imperative," the editorial concludes (9/13).
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