Iowa nursing home staff would get more training under GOP bill. Democrats want more

Iowa's nursing home staff would undergo new training with the state under a bill advancing in the Iowa House.

The measure, House Study Bill 691, would require the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to conduct joint training twice a year with inspectors and nursing homes to cover at least three of the 10 most frequent complaints from the preceding calendar year.

The department would also be tasked with collecting data and identifying patterns of complaints against nursing facilities.

"We want to make sure that both entities are on the same page — the nursing homes and the inspectors," said Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee. "So we want to identify the top 10 complaints in the Iowa nursing homes and we want to make sure that those are addressed in training."

More: Complaints pile up as Iowa ranks 49th among states in ratio of nursing home inspectors

According to data from the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging, Iowa is 49th in the nation for nursing home inspectors per capita. Advocates argue the state has been unable to adequately monitor nursing homes, which have seen an increase in complaints and citations.

Two dozen of Iowa's more than 400 nursing homes have closed in recent years, and nursing home officials have said it's difficult to recruit and keep staff.

Senate Democrats propose nursing home oversight bills

Senate Democrats released a slate of legislation of their own on the issue Tuesday, hoping to spur conversations with Republicans and find common ground to regulate nursing homes.

The legislative package from Sens. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines, and Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, would impose more frequent inspections and stricter penalties; study alternatives to institutional long-term care; raise the minimum wage for nursing home workers; and increase the monthly allowance for long-term care residents on Medicaid.

"I don't know about moving legislation this session, but I do know that many of our colleagues … have expressed interest in this issue and getting something done," Celsi said.

Republicans are not expected to take up Democrats' proposals.

Earlier this year, Senate Republicans rejected Democrats' calls for oversight hearings into the nursing home industry, including reports of assaults, sexual misconduct, abuse and neglect against nursing home residents.

More: Iowa Senate Republicans reject request to investigate nursing homes, say regulators too busy

Weiner remarked that she'd seen no proposals from Gov. Kim Reynolds on the issue "that would even rise to the level of the package that we've put together here."

"So I’m waiting," she said.

Brent Willett, CEO of the Iowa Health Care Association, which represents the state's long-term care facilities, said the group is working to make sure its members are equipped to provide high-quality care.

"Delivering quality care is a continuous process, and there is always more we can do," Willett said in a statement. "Which is why IHCA continues to advocate for common-sense policies designed to attract, train, equip and retain more permanent direct care workers in Iowa communities to meet the growing demand for long-term care services and supports."

John Hale, an advocate for older Iowans, praised the Senate Democrats' proposals and said lawmakers should work to implement them even after this week's legislative funnel deadline.

"I believe that Iowans expect Republicans and Democrats to set party politics aside and work together to identify and pass portions of the bills they can agree on," he said. "The upcoming legislative funnel should not be used as an excuse for inaction. Many of the ideas can be plugged into appropriation bills to be finalized later in the session."

Reporter Michaela Ramm contributed to this article.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at gbacharier@registermedia.com or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa nursing home staff would get more training under House GOP bill