To accomplish its goal of making excellence the expectation in all of Ohio’s 960+ nursing homes, the Ohio Governor’s Nursing Home Quality and Accountability Task Force will be traveling to communities across the state to hear directly from nursing home residents and their loved ones about their experiences.
A session will be held March 28 from 2-4 p.m. at the Wood County Senior Center, 140 S. Grove St, Bowling Green.
Established via an executive order by Gov. Mike DeWine, the taskforce was formed to study issues surrounding quality of life and quality of care in Ohio’s nursing homes.
Ohio ranked 39th in the most recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services overall Quality Star Ratings, which scores all Medicare/Medicaid-funded nursing facilities between 1 (much below average) and 5 (much above average) stars on a variety of categories, including overall quality. Ohio’s average overall nursing home quality currently ranks in the bottom quartile of all states.
Additionally, many of the state’s nursing facilities are inconsistent in their compliance with standards of care, being forced to correct the same deficiencies repeatedly.
In addition to the community listening sessions, the task force will hold regular meetings to discuss public input and formulate recommendations.
Ohio Department of Aging Director Ursel McElroy has been appointed to chair the task force. Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff is serving as vice chair.
View all task force members and the full schedule of task force meetings at aging.ohio.gov.nhtaskforce.
The Ohio Department of Aging serves and advocates for the needs of Ohioans age 60 and older, as well as their families, caregivers and communities. Programs include home and community based long-term supports and services, as well as initiatives to promote health and wellness throughout the lifespan.
