The Oklahoma State Department of Health's budget woes are taking a toll on the agency's ability to inspect and investigate licensed long-term care facilities.
Featured Gallery
Advertisement
The department has about 25 positions vacant for long-term care surveyors — about one-quarter of the staff authorized to investigate complaints and conduct annual surveys at each licensed facility.
There also are about 100 vacancies in county health departments, 69 of which are nursing staff.
The department began not filling vacancies in June 2007.
Two weeks ago, it implemented a "hard hiring freeze," meaning positions will not be filled unless senior leadership makes an exception based on critical need.
The department is searching for ways to fund about $14 million in accumulated increases in unfunded employee health insurance and retirement benefits over a 3 1/2-year period.
Kevin Pipes, chief of policy for the state Health Department, said the Sooner Start program also faces a $3 million to $3.5 million shortfall for the current fiscal year. It is an early intervention program for developmentally delayed children ages 3 and under.
Pipes said the increased cost of doing business and a decrease in federal funds also has led to cutbacks affecting the inspection program.
Long-term care facilities include nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, residential care homes, assisted-living centers, continuum of care homes and intermediate care facilities for the mentally retarded.
The Health Department's overall budget for fiscal year 2009 is about $380 million, essentially the same as the year before.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
It is a sad day when we need state of the art rest areas in all the turnpike locations, but the conditions our elderly live in doesn't matter. "Black mold? oh, it'll go away as soon as the rain quits. Bed sores? Well, just turn him on his other side if we have an inspection this year. Roaches in the oatmeal? Everyone knows they're better protein! Better give Old lady Whosis another Valium, she's started that yelling again. We need housekeeping to mop up those puddles under the wheelchairs in the sun room." No inspectors means worse care, low wages for those already working equals you get what you pay for. When you have 1 aide for every 35 residents in a home, you're bound to wind up with lousy care for 30 of them, especially if any of those 30 are bedridden, or have to have help going to and from the bathroom. It's not the fault of the person on the job, it's the fault of the owner of the company, and the fault of the state. The owner who tries to keep a lower payroll, and the state by not funding inspectors to do their job. Nothing finds problems better than a surprise inspection! I'd say we need to find someplace else to cut the fat, and leave the inspectors to do their jobs. One of these days, it might be your mom or dad in one of those places that hasn't had an inspection for a couple of years, and those scenarios above happened in real life, just up the turnpike.
I'd say fire them all. In fact, lets cut all the budgets for all departments so we can free up more money in federal funds so we can fund this war! We want more bombs and guns for this war, so who cares if health care suffers! WAR WAR WAR! Oh and while we're at it, lets keep inflation going higher too!!!
4
Featured Gallery
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).