Oregon APD reports rising complaints, owner turnover and calls for faster inspections and more staff

On March 26, APD Director Dr. Nikisha Nycoyle told the Legislative Human Services Subcommittee that the agency is seeing heavier workloads across licensing and Adult Protective Services (APS), and that federal and state changes are intensifying oversight requirements.

APD"believes that each person deserves the right to live in a place that is safe, that meets person-centered needs for care and support, and that gives them the autonomy and dignity to live their lives fully," Nycoyle said. She and APD deputies described increases in licensing complaints, more newly licensed providers with limited experience, and a rise in facility ownership turnover.

The information matters because APD said roughly 44,000 people receive long-term services and supports in licensed care settings and because federal rules now require stronger assurances that providers of Home and Community Based Services are qualified and that consumers are protected from abuse. APD described proposals and operational investments intended to shorten the time between a new provider opening and an initial inspection, bolster licensing staff, and strengthen abuse investigations.

APD staff told legislators the agency licenses and oversees nearly 2,000 long-term care settings, including 128 nursing facilities, more than 1,200 adult foster homes and hundreds of assisted-living and residential care facilities. APD described its safety and regulatory functions as two principal areas: licensing and Adult Protective Services. Nycoyle said the licensing unit has 216 positions (157 in APD central office, five for the Safety and Serious Incident Response Team and 54 in local offices) and that APS has what the presentation described as 245 positions (41 central, 193 local). APD also said more than half of…