Vice President Harris announces final rules mandating minimum standards for nursing home staffing

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON
Associated Press

The federal government is for the first time requiring nursing homes to have minimum staffing levels after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed grim realities in poorly staffed facilities. Vice President Kamala Harris announced the final rules Monday before a trip to Wisconsin, where she’ll speak with nursing home care workers. It’s Harris’ third visit to the battleground state this year and is part of President Joe Biden’s push to earn the support of union workers who’ve traditionally backed him and fellow Democrats. The new rules will implement a minimum number of hours staffers spend with residents. The American Health Care Association criticizes the rules and says they create “an impossible task for providers.”