A Big Win!
Thank you for supporting this petition to delay the deadly transfer and relocation program forced upon Laguna Honda Hospital residents by the US government's Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
We achieved another win this month when CMS allowed another delay to restarting the program until September 19, 2023.
Laguna Honda's administration is still going through the recertification process. When fully recertified, this deadly program will be terminated -- permanently!
Another Challenge
I want to share with you an additional challenge that the advocates and champions for Laguna Honda have been addressing: The loss of 120 beds at the hospital.
Surprisingly, the bureaucracy that triggered the original decertification has also forced Laguna Honda to adhere to new guidelines that limit the quantity of beds per bathroom. This was meant to stem the abuse by for-profit nursing care facilities that stuff 4 or more people per room with a single bathroom.
I've seen these facilities and they do need to be constrained and redesigned. But, Laguna Honda is not one of them.
Laguna Honda has a well-designed, 3-bedroom per bathroom layout for each set of residents. The bathrooms are very large and ADA compliant. There is a wide common space between the bathrooms and bedrooms. And, each large bedroom has its own door. The standards at Laguna Honda are considered the best in the industry.
Yet, CMS wants us to leave one room empty so that there are only 2 residents per bathroom. San Francisco will subsequently lose 120 beds that are desperately needed for the county's most vulnerable people. This is the worst outcome of a well-intentioned regulation.
But, you can make a difference!
My colleague-in-advocacy, Patrick Monette-Shaw has been a tireless voice for the vulnerable citizens of San Francisco. Not a single SF Dept of Public Health Commission meeting gets by without getting pressure from Patrick to prioritize the people's needs over bureaucracy. And, he's initiated a petition to save those 120 beds.
Please, please sign this petition and show you support!
Kind Regards,
--Joe Urban
The latest article on Laguna Honda from KQED
Latest article from the San Francisco Chronicle