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When you decide to move a loved one into a nursing home, you do so with the expectation that they will get a level of care that they couldn’t get at home. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as many New York nursing homes are inadequately staffed. In fact, New York ranks as one of the worst states when it comes to staffing levels for nursing homes.
Federal government data shows that New York has levels of nursing staffing that are approximately 30% below where they should be. Low levels of staffing are associated with worse outcomes for residents, including bedsores, falls, infections, and other types of abuse and neglect. If your family member was injured or developed an illness because of inadequate staffing at their nursing home, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the facility.
At the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, we are fierce advocates for nursing home residents and their loved ones. We are skilled at taking on nursing homes to help our clients get justice for abuse and neglect. Contact our law firm to schedule a free initial consultation with a New York nursing home abuse lawyer.
Statistics Show Low Levels of Staffing in New York Nursing Homes
The Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCC) releases a quarterly report on staffing in nursing homes across the country. These reports are based on payroll data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency responsible for providing health insurance to more than 100 million people. By analyzing these numbers, LTCC can provide a report that breaks down staffing levels at nursing homes for all 50 states.
The most recent report from early 2025 reveals that New York has among the lowest levels of staffing for nurses, administrators, and other non-nursing staff. In fact, New York ranks 45th out of 50 states in terms of total nurse staff in terms of hours per resident day (HPRD). This number is calculated by dividing the total number of nursing hours logged by staff over a 24-hour period, divided by the total number of residents in the facility that day.
In New York, the expected nursing HPRD is 5.08, yet the report reveals that the total nurse staff HPRD was just 3.56 for the first quarter of 2025. This represents a nearly 30% deviation from the expected nursing staffing. Just under 17% of nursing homes in New York achieved greater than 4.1 HPRD.
By comparison, the #1 ranked state in terms of HPRD, Alaska, had 6.16 total nurse staff HPRD. The second-ranked state had 5.01 total nursing HPRD. Overall, LTCC found that the Pacific Northwest had the best staffing levels of any state, while New York and New Jersey ranked as some of the lowest nursing staff levels of any state in the country.
Throughout the country, nursing homes tend to fall short of their expected HPRD. On average, nursing homes in the United States provided 3.75 total nurse staff hours per resident day. 90.2% of all nursing homes in the U.S. fall below their expected HPRD, with the median shortage at 24.9% of the expected total nurse staffing levels.
In most states, nursing homes simply do not have enough staff to meet resident needs. New York has particularly low levels of staffing in its nursing home. As explained below, this can lead to an increased risk of nursing home abuse and/or neglect.
Risks of Inadequate Staffing in New York Nursing Homes
When a person goes to a nursing home, it is typically because they need a higher level of care than they can receive at home. Unfortunately, many nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and skilled nursing facilities simply lack the staff to safely care for residents. This can put some of New York’s most vulnerable residents at risk.
Inadequate staffing compromises the quality of care for residents. It can also compromise resident safety, leading to increased levels of hospitalization and even higher mortality rates. These risks include:
- Falls: Without enough staff to monitor residents, they are more likely to fall and get hurt. This includes within their own room/apartment or while walking throughout the facility.
- Medication errors: If there is not enough staff to properly administer medications on a consistent schedule, it can increase the likelihood of medication errors.
- Bedsores/pressure ulcers: Any resident who is immobile will require frequent repositioning to prevent skin breakdown and monitoring of their skin. Without enough staff to care for immobile patients, the risk of bedsores increases.
- Malnutrition and dehydration: For residents who need help with eating and drinking, inadequate staffing may mean that they don’t get enough to eat or drink.
- Infections: If there is not enough staff to properly care for residents, such as by cleaning and changing dressings on wounds, it increases the risk of infections.
- Physical abuse: A staffing shortage can cause employees to feel stressed, which can lead to a higher incidence of abuse.
Low staffing levels are bad for both employees and residents. When staff levels are low, employees are often burned out and have an increased risk of injury. Inadequate staffing is also associated with high turnover among employees, which often leads to inexperienced staff and inconsistent care.
Ultimately, nursing home quality of care can suffer when there are not enough staff to take care of residents. It is the responsibility of nursing home administrators and owners to ensure that their facility has enough staff to meet the needs of their residents. When they fail to do so, they may be liable in a nursing home abuse or neglect lawsuit.
Help for Victims of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
If a nursing home does not have enough staff, bad things can happen to its residents. This can include issues related to neglect, such as malnutrition and falls, to more serious cases of abuse. If your family member has suffered an injury due to nursing home abuse and/or neglect, we are here for you.
Based in White Plains, the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan fights for the rights of nursing home abuse and neglect victims throughout New York. We offer free initial consultations and never charge a fee unless we recover money for you. To learn more or to schedule an appointment with a New York nursing home abuse attorney, give us a call at 914-220-1086 or fill out our online contact form.
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