Illinois: New reforms present Catch-22 situation
State Rep. Brandon Phelps (D)
Nursing home administrators in the state are supportive of the new staffing guidelines, but the regulations come as the state is facing massive budget shortfalls. Some facilities have already been forced to take on second mortgages to meet staff payroll, according to state Rep. Brandon Phelps (D).
Steve Robison of Christian Homes Inc., which operates 15 facilities in four states, including Illinois, says the biggest challenge is finding qualified staff, crisis, according to a report in The Southern newspaper. Other provisions in the Illinois nursing home reform laws call for stricter background checks on potential residents, and a doubling of the number of state nursing home inspectors by 2013.
