Without advocates, disabled and aging residents of long-term care facilities (nursing homes et al.) have little power to stand up to facility owners, to address a wide range of health and safety problems. Even before COVID, the US Dept. of Justice said "all too often, we have found nursing home owners or operators who put profits over patients, leading to instances of gross abuse and neglect."

Ombudsmen are a lifeline to long-term care residents, who have made up almost half of all COVID-related deaths in Illinois (IDPH). During the pandemic, the City of Chicago's long-term care ombudsmen have often been the only advocates residents have had access to during the intense lockdown procedures they have had to endure.

Yet the City of Chicago has only kept long-term care ombudsmen staffed at 50% during the entire pandemic. (WBEZ) Despite having $403 million in discretionary federal COVID relief funds, Mayor Lightfoot chose not to direct resources to those most impacted by the virus.

The State of Illinois mandates that Chicago should have ten LTC ombudsmen - the City says they can only afford eight. Instead of releasing funds for two more city employees, the IL Department of Aging is pushing to privatize the program.  

Their reasoning? The ombudsmen are "too expensive". The State of Illinois does not want to fund two more positions because they do not want to pay for collective bargaining protections and a adequate salary of experienced ombuds. They would rather outsource the program, which would then have significantly less power to stand up to nursing home owners, and less pay and less protection from intimidation for the ombudsmen themselves.

Our ombudsmen deserve to be protected and fairly compensated. As some of the only workers who have a direct impact on, and excellent relationships with, nursing home residents, it is imperative that the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois commit to fully funding and fully staffing the ombudsman program and keeping this program public.

Protect nursing home residents!

Protect public workers!

Join us in demanding that IL's Department of Aging and the City of Chicago work together to fully fund a public long-term care ombudsman program!