PROVIDENCE — A proposed compromise in the politically charged, union-driven fight for minimum staffing mandates at Rhode Island nursing homes is headed to the Rhode Island House for a vote, after winning the endorsement of a key committee on Thursday.
The mandate would be phased in over two years. The minimum number of required hours per patient per day would be lower than in the Senate-passed version, and would include time spent with physical therapists, speech pathologists and other medical professionals.
In an interview earlier this week, Shekarchi said the reworked bill "balances the desire to improve health-care quality and patient care ... [with] the industry's perspective."