These comments reflect my opinion only. I do not speak on behalf of my employer.

I work as a Paramedic in the Richmond area, so I am frequently in the nursing homes around here. Too frequently I’ll hear that the staff are not familiar with the patients, or that they last checked on them an hour prior, just to find them having long been deceased. I think that a large problem with the system is that terrible nurse to patient ratio, as well as the fact that their support staff, (CNAs, physical therapists, etc) are stretched too thin. Additionally, while I know that they keep track of how many times they are calling 911, facilities around here have been circumventing this statistic by calling our operations business line, instead of 911. Additionally, I have also experienced people that 911 should have been called for hours prior, while others are a complete improper utilization of 911. That said, there simply isn’t enough staff to effectively care for all the residents living in these facilities. There needs to be harsher tracking on staffing ratios, and sanctions placed against these facilities that continue to make their employees work under these unsafe ratios.