To the editor:

This letter is about House File 908 and Senate file 1621, which I have read in their entirety.

Some back ground: I am a retired nurse/retired library director. My mother, father, stepfather and a brother all spent time in nursing homes. They all received excellent, compassionate care, often above and beyond any call of duty. The workers in every area are overworked, underpaid and certainly unappreciated. My mother, stepfather, husband and self all had benefits we would not have had without our unions so I am not anti-union. I am very much against these revisions.

Just because we as a state have a surplus does not mean we need to get out there and pay out good money to form a new board, The Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. Instead of paying a new board and it’s members, use some common sense in place of no sense and use some of the surplus to fix existing problems. Such as the cost report delays, Medicaid Equalization, increasing funding to our nursing homes so they can pay staff adequately and therefore retain trained staff.

No more regulations. Enforce the ones we do have. As the 2nd-most regulated industry in the United States, only behind the Nuclear Power Plants, nursing homes do not need more regulations. With all the time spent on these, the enforcement and the record keeping, think of all the good that time and the monies could actually do to help the residents.

I am appalled that a union supposedly helping nursing staff would even consider it a good idea to have any board involved in setting wages. The items covered in this revision can all be cared for under DHS, Nursing Board, and all the many departments we already have. Perhaps it might behoove you to sit down with nursing home administrators and listen. Our senior citizens should not have to worry, ” If I need skilled care will any be available to me after a life time of working?” Seriously think about more money and less regulations. I am beyond disappointed, disgusted and distressed you would think these are good revisions.

Darlene Nelson

New Ulm