TEXAS NURSING HOMES INCREASED DIRECT-CARE STAFFING LEVELS DURING WINTER STORM URI

Prior work suggests that nursing homes (NHs) increase their registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN), and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing levels in anticipation of a major hurricane. However, less is known about NHs’ ability to increase staffing levels during a winter storm. We examined RN, LPN, and CNA staffing levels in 1,170 Texas NHs during Winter Storm Uri from February 13-20, 2021. This storm was characterized by cold temperatures and snow/ice accretion that affected the Texas power grid. Linear mixed effects models were adjusted for profit status, continuing-care retirement community status, resident census, overall star rating, a weighted deficiency score, number of citations for infection control, number of substantiated complaints, and county fixed-effects. After adjustment, Texas NHs decreased RN (β=-0.005;b=-0.002;p=.004) but increased LPN (β=0.022;b=0.009;p<.001) and CNA (β=0.044;b=0.026;p<.001) staffing levels. NHs face unprecedented challenges during winter storms, including maintaining adequate staffing levels to meet the needs of their residents.