HARRISBURG, Pa. — Hundreds of caregivers rallied on the steps of the Capitol Building and nearby streets in Harrisburg on Wednesday to call for more funding for nursing homes.
Nursing home workers joined legislators to echo the theme of "Now or Never."
They said the nursing home system was going downhill even before the pandemic, but COVID-19 only amplified the issues.
The caregivers asked for safe patient-to-staff ratios and $300 million in permanent and recurring investment into care. They also asked that 70 cents of every dollar spent by a nursing home to goes to resident care.
"The staffing is really slim-to-none now, and people are just tired. They're exhausted," said nurse Karen Hipple. "They're tired of working 12-hour, 15, [or] 16-hour shifts and have to come back in the next day and do it again, and it's hard working with that little staff and that many patients."
Nursing home advocates also say that, if more funding doesn't come, workers will continue to burn out and quit, which escalates the problem.