Missouri Nursing Home Care Scores An "F"

On August 8th, 2013, the advocacy group Families for Better Care published what it refers to as the “nations first-ever, state-by-state nursing home report card,” which can be found at nursinghomereportcards.com. Families for Better Care is a Florida based organization that states that it “is a non-profit citizen advocacy group dedicated to creating public awareness of the conditions in our nation’s nursing homes and other long-term care settings and developing effective solutions for improving quality of life and care.” In creating the Nursing Home Report Card, the group combed through a number of government documents and available data on nursing homes and assigned letter grades to each state and ranked the states from top to bottom. The group’s findings as they relate to Missouri are disturbing.


Missouri received an F from the group and was ranked 47th out of 51 (including the District of Columbia). In an August 8, 2013 press release, the group’s executive direct, Brian Lee is quoted as saying “Missouri represents what’s terribly wrong with nursing home care and oversight in America.” Mr. Lee goes on, in referencing Missouri’s dismal grade, to point out that “[i]nadquate staffing contributes to the enormity of nursing home neglect" and that “Governor Nixon and the Missouri Legislature must do a better job caring for elderly and disabled nursing home residents.” Missouri ranked near the very bottom in hours worked by nurses and nurse staffing above average.


The Report Card is an overall assessment of the state and does not identify any one nursing home. What the Report Card does, however, is underscores how much work Missouri has to do to improve the care its citizens are receiving in long term care facilities. Additionally, it reinforces how important it is to research the specific nursing home you or a loved one may be considering. In previous posts (here and here) we have suggested some available resources to consider when making this important decision. This Report Card serves as a reminder of how important that research can be. -Ryan