House Bill 606, Senate Bill 308 Sends Wrong Message!

To see our sponsor, Eadie William, and our Board Member, Vicki bring awareness to this issue, click here. Thank you to Sarah Goldenberg and Channel 19, WOIO for finding this bill important to bring awareness on.

For our most vulnerable populations, the elderly, veterans, and disabled in long-term care we are sending the wrong message when facilities and health care providers are given immunity to civil suits for neglect. Hard to believe, as these are populations that many times can’t fend for themselves, protect themselves, or speak up for themselves. How would this ever protect them? They are saying anything under reckless care is immune to consequences and accountability. They are also making it very hard for Professional Discipline for neglect as well.

This will allow the facilities that give the worst care to not have consequences or accountability. We have too many facilities with low ratings or on a watch list in Ohio. Many families have struggled with neglect issues. Not getting water, food (when you can’t get help eating), and falls that many time leads to bad outcomes as no one answers the call light due to short staffing. Now, when challenges increase the most, we lower the protections.

This law is not just about immunity for COVID transmission, it is about allowing neglect with no accountability or consequences for our most vulnerable populations. This does not protect nurses and aides as their actions in civil matters are usually covered by the employer. However, it will make their jobs that much harder when neglect is not accountable to facility owners.