Legislature unanimously passes resolution urging county administration to begin enforcing Ruthie’s Law and levy fines against non-compliant nursing homes

Modified: February 20, 2020 4:13pm

02/20/2020

Thursday afternoon, the Erie County Legislature unanimously passed a resolution urging County Executive Mark Poloncarz and the Erie County Department of Senior Services to begin enforcing Ruthie’s Law. The resolution was introduced by members of the Minority Caucus including Minority Leader Joe Lorigo, Legislator Ed Rath, Legislator John Mills, and Legislator Frank Todaro.

Ruthie’s Law was passed by the Legislature in 2017 and mandates nursing home facilities to report abuse-related incidents. Since then, it has been discovered that a majority of nursing homes in Erie County do not comply. Legislators have requested updates from the Department of Senior Services and urged them to begin issuing fines if a nursing home is not in compliance.

Minority Leader Lorigo said, “It’s troubling that more than half of nursing homes in Erie County aren’t complying with a law designed to protect the most vulnerable.  When Senior Services Commissioner Shenk first appeared before the Legislature to discuss Ruthie’s Law, we were told the administration was applying ‘softball tactics.’ This approach is unacceptable. While I am cautiously optimistic that the administration plans to begin levying fines at the end of the month, we need to ensure these enforcement mechanisms are used moving forward. Since Commissioner Shenk promises to begin issuing fines at the end of February, I will be requesting a meeting at the Legislature the following week to make sure that happens.”

Legislator Rath said, “If we have the ability to levy fines, we should be doing so. A nursing home resident was tragically beaten and we must do everything we can to prevent a similar incident from happening. Our administration needs to crack down on these facilities and levy fines when necessary.”

Legislator Mills said, “Our resolution pushes for more accountability. The administration and Department of Senior Services passed a law to protect seniors and create safer nursing homes. We will be following up with the administration to ensure fines are being levied and any lack of compliance won’t be tolerated.”

Legislator Todaro said, “It is shameful to hear that many nursing homes won’t comply with Ruthie’s Law. This law is intended to protect individuals in every nursing home in Erie County.  Those receiving care in any nursing home deserve to be in a safe environment, and their loved ones deserve to know they are receiving the best care possible. In the near future, my colleagues and I hope to hear that fines have been issued against the facilities that refuse to comply.”

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