Washington, DC – The American Health Care Association (AHCA) called upon Congress and law enforcement today to develop a national database of sex offenders and a consistent and standard definition of the term, stating that a collaborative effort is needed to achieve the highest levels of safety for long term care residents.
Testifying before the House Small Business Committee, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight hearing, “The Impact of Predators in Long-Term Care on Small Business Operations”, AHCA detailed the difficulties facing nursing facilities on this complex issue, calling on policymakers and law enforcement to provide clear policies for long term care facilities to deal with and address resident protection as well as compliance with federal privacy laws.
“Providing long term care for those who have any type of criminal past is a critical societal issue, the solution for which must encompass not only health care providers and their patients but also law enforcement and our health care oversight federal and state agencies,” stated Tom Coble, President & CEO of Elmbrook Management Company, and represented AHCA before the subcommittee. “The basic question seems to be what and whose ethical and legal obligation is it to ensure that individuals who have “paid their debt” for prior criminal activity have their health care needs met as members of our society.”
Nursing facilities must provide quality long term care and services in a safe and secure environment to all frail, elderly and disabled who can no longer safely be cared for in their homes or communities, regardless of their history, Coble noted. He also testified that AHCA is “deeply concerned about the issue of sexual predators in nursing homes, and will continue to work to ensure that all residents, families and staff are safe in their facilities. However, faculties can only do so much in the current system.”
“It is difficult to propose a “one-size-fits-all” solution to this issue facing long term care residents, caregivers and providers,” Coble continued. “AHCA believes that health care providers, government oversight agencies and law enforcement must come together whether on a state or national level to begin to address reasonable and appropriate solutions to this growing problem.”
Coble concluded his testimony by highlighting the importance of our nation’s front line caregivers in ensuring the safety of our nation’s frail and elderly, stating, “Long term caregivers have many employment choices, but they choose to come to work in our facilities each day, providing care to the frailest of our society. They are the heroes of long term care and I entrust the care of my loved ones to them each day.”
The American Health Care Association represents nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to 1.5 million of our nation's frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org.