Image of nurses' hands at computer keyboard

The Service Employees International Union should retract a statement that inaccurately says The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care is not in favor of expanding funding for children’s healthcare, the long-term care advocacy group said Friday.

SEIU issued bombastic press releases Wednesday and Thursday, claiming the Alliance, a coalition of 16 of the nation’s largest nursing home chains, did not support funding for children’s healthcare.

On Friday, Alliance President Alan Rosenbloom countered that print and television ads placed by his group promoted funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) while also calling for the protection of funding for seniors who need long-term care. Many long-term care providers have criticized provisions of a House bill that would freeze Medicare Part A payments to nursing homes while expanding SCHIP funding.

Rosenbloom called on the SEIU to retract the “false characterizations” of his group’s ads. Although no new statement from SEIU was apparent Friday afternoon, a check of its Web site found that documents with the criticism of Alliance ads were no longer posted there.