Support NYS Senate Bill S8286: Protect Therapy Staffing and Quality Care in Nursing Homes
The Issue
As someone committed to improving the quality of care in New York’s long-term care system, I believe every nursing home resident should have access to the essential services that support their health, dignity, and everyday well-being. This is why we must support NYS Senate Bill S8286, which amends New York’s Public Health Law to expand minimum staffing standards in nursing homes to include licensed therapy professionals, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, therapy assistants, respiratory therapists, and recreational therapists.
Right now, many residents do not receive consistent access to therapy services due to limited staffing requirements. This gap can lead to a preventable decline in mobility, safety, independence, and overall quality of life. Senate Bill S8286 provides a practical, meaningful solution by ensuring that therapy services are recognized as core components of resident care.
This bill updates New York's existing nursing home staffing standards by requiring facilities not only to meet nursing minimums, but also to include qualified rehabilitation professionals as part of their essential staff. This ensures that residents have ongoing access to therapists who support daily functioning, reduce fall and injury risk, maintain cognitive and physical abilities, and promote meaningful engagement in daily activites.
According to the New York State Department of Health, most nursing home residents require assistance with basic activities of daily living and rely on therapy to maintain or improve those abilities. Without staffing standards that include therapy professionals, residents often face delayed or inadequate services. By passing S8286, we take a crucial step toward protecting vulnerable adults and enhancing the quality of care across New York State.
Your support is essential to making this change a reality. By signing this petition, you are advocating for the rights of nursing home residents and supporting the therapists whose services help individuals live safer, fuller, and more independent lives. Together, we can promote equitable, high-quality care for all New Yorkers.
Sign this petition today to support NYS Senate Bill S8286 and ensure comprehensive, client-centered care in every nursing home across the state.
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The Issue
As someone committed to improving the quality of care in New York’s long-term care system, I believe every nursing home resident should have access to the essential services that support their health, dignity, and everyday well-being. This is why we must support NYS Senate Bill S8286, which amends New York’s Public Health Law to expand minimum staffing standards in nursing homes to include licensed therapy professionals, such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, therapy assistants, respiratory therapists, and recreational therapists.
Right now, many residents do not receive consistent access to therapy services due to limited staffing requirements. This gap can lead to a preventable decline in mobility, safety, independence, and overall quality of life. Senate Bill S8286 provides a practical, meaningful solution by ensuring that therapy services are recognized as core components of resident care.
This bill updates New York's existing nursing home staffing standards by requiring facilities not only to meet nursing minimums, but also to include qualified rehabilitation professionals as part of their essential staff. This ensures that residents have ongoing access to therapists who support daily functioning, reduce fall and injury risk, maintain cognitive and physical abilities, and promote meaningful engagement in daily activites.
According to the New York State Department of Health, most nursing home residents require assistance with basic activities of daily living and rely on therapy to maintain or improve those abilities. Without staffing standards that include therapy professionals, residents often face delayed or inadequate services. By passing S8286, we take a crucial step toward protecting vulnerable adults and enhancing the quality of care across New York State.
Your support is essential to making this change a reality. By signing this petition, you are advocating for the rights of nursing home residents and supporting the therapists whose services help individuals live safer, fuller, and more independent lives. Together, we can promote equitable, high-quality care for all New Yorkers.
Sign this petition today to support NYS Senate Bill S8286 and ensure comprehensive, client-centered care in every nursing home across the state.
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Petition created on December 7, 2025