Yesterday afternoon caregivers at eight Bay Area California nursing homes held simultaneous demonstrations to pressure their employer, Windsor Healthcare Management, to make much needed improvements in resident care and patient safety.
Hilda Gil, a Certified Nursing Assistant at The Ridge Care & Rehabilitation in Salinas said, “Today, hundreds of nursing home workers came together to fight for our residents’ right to quality and reliable medical care.”
The outcry stems from the hundreds of violations that various Windsor Healthcare facilities have received. Since July 2007, more than 360 violations of health and safety regulations were documented at Windsor facilities during regular federal surveys. Moreover, there were an additional 58 patient complaints ranging from short-staffing to fire hazards.
More than 650 nursing home workers have been in contract negotiations with Windsor Healthcare facilities for more than a year in four facilities and several months at four others in an attempt to improve patient care. Caregivers have made proposals to help ensure quality resident care by reducing staff turn-over and establishing an employee training and education fund. However, Windsor refuses to adopt the caregivers’ proven solutions to raise standards for resident care.
“The biggest responsibility of my job is to provide the best possible treatment to my residents,” said Alicia Perez, a Restorative Nursing Assistant at Skyline Care Center. “All we’re asking is that Windsor agree to our common-sense contract proposals that will greatly benefit patients, employees and the community.”
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