Secretary of DSHS 'walks-a-day' in the shoes of a Nurse Consultant
Nurse Consultants met twice with Secretary Susan Dreyfus to share concerns and offer solutions to problems they encounter day to day. To learn more about what it means to work as a Nurse Consultant and to see the kinds of homes available to adults in Washington, Secretary of DSHS Susan Dreyfus spent a day with our union member Katherine Ander who works as a Nurse Consultant for the Adult Family Home program. This gave Secretary Dreyfus a first hand view of a typical day.
Here is Katherine’s summary of the day.
Fellow SEIU Healthcare 1199NW members,
I am a complaint investigator for Residential Care Services (RCS), the division of Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) that regulates long term care facilities such as Nursing Homes, Assisted Living facilities and Adult Family Homes. On Monday, March 29, 2010 I had the pleasure of taking the Secretary of DSHS Susan Dreyfus out in the field on complaint investigation visits. We went to 3 different kinds of Adult Family Homes (AFH). The first home was an example of culturally appropriate care (Russian speaking home taking a mix of state and private residents). The second home was an example of an RN run home (all private). The last two homes were examples of AFH serving State clients. The last 2 homes were across the street from one another, both owned and operated by an RN. The secretary was able to see:
- How even good homes can have failed practice
- Some providers overstate the promise of care
- Food regulations in AFH WAC could be better
- Caregivers sometimes speak marginal English and may lack sophistication
- There is a wide range of care in AFHs, in particular state vs.private facilities
I focused on taking the secretary to the AFH setting because she is already personally familiar with Nursing Home and Assisted Living care settings. In addition, with recent articles in the paper describing AFH problems, it seemed best to give her direct experience that will help her understand of that kind of care.
At the end of the day, Secretary Dreyfus remarked on how minimal care addresses the physical needs of residents but not necessarily the nutritional or social needs of residents. I found her to be an astute person with a visionary style, ready to tackle big problems. When the Secretary says that she wants and needs each person in DSHS to be an ambassador for our agency and exemplify our core values, she means it, and starts with herself. The secretary was genuinely interested to meet our staff and spent time at the start and the end of the day shaking hands and meeting staff present in the office.
Thank you to SEIU Healthcare 1199NW for arranging this opportunity. It was an honor to represent Region 4 and RCS.
Regards,
Katherine Ander, complaint investigator, Region 4, Residential Care Services
Next steps:
Katherine Ander was appointed by Secretary Dreyfus to participate in a statewide Abuse/Neglect of Vulnerable Adults Study Group to address long-term care issues that have been identified. The committee convenes for the first time Friday April 9. Long term Care Nurse Consultants are encouraged to participate in this process. Conference calls are being arranged for RCS to have this dialogue.
