LeadingAge NY Speaks on Regulations at Public Health and Health Planning Council Meeting
New York's Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) met on Nov. 18th to renew emergency regulations governing personal caregiving and compassionate caregiving visitation in nursing homes and adult care facilities (ACFs) and regulations governing the vaccination mandate on health care personnel. LeadingAge NY spoke at the meeting about the staffing crisis confronting long term care providers in New York State and the failure of these regulations, as well as the nursing home minimum nursing hours regulations, to acknowledge that crisis. We noted that depleting long term care providers of resources through duplicative fines or fines that punish providers for circumstances beyond their control will not improve access to, or quality of, care. PHHPC members expressed concern about the situation.
The Department of Health (DOH) attorney noted that the personal caregiving regulations are not inconsistent with federal guidance because DOH has adopted the federal guidance. Another DOH attorney noted that the State will not impose fines for non-compliance with the State vaccination mandate that duplicate federal penalties.
LeadingAge NY's written comments are available here, and Karen Lipson's remarks to the PHHPC are available here. The full PHHPC meeting can be viewed here.
Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8838