contributed photo Allowing video cameras in nursing home rooms would allow families near and far to check in on their moms, dads, grandparents or others to make sure they are well, safe, and receiving good care.

It was disturbing, frustrating and sickening. But it was not surprising. And it’s happened six years in a row.

Behind closed doors, secretively and quietly, Iowa’s Senate Republicans once again killed a bill that would improve, and possibly save, the lives of nursing home residents.

The bill would protect the right of loved ones of nursing home residents to install video cameras in their rooms. The camera would allow families near and far to check in on their moms, dads, grandparents or others to make sure they are well, safe, and receiving good care.

No one’s privacy would be violated. The cameras would only be allowed if the resident and loved ones – and a roommate if there was one – give their express permission.

For loved ones, the cameras would ensure peace of mind. For facilities, they would ensure accountability for the quality of care being provided.

The responsibility for the death of the bill each year must be placed squarely on the shoulders of Republicans. They controlled the Legislature every year the measure was buried.

This year, seven Senate Republicans met in private and decided again to kill the bill, denying additional public input and the right of Republican and Democratic colleagues to publicly debate and vote.

Why do Republicans prevent the

debate and vote?

We believe it’s because party leaders have been told to do so by nursing home lobbyists.

What happens and how at the Iowa Statehouse is basic, but sordid.

It’s a “you scratch mine and I’ll scratch yours” system. Lobbyists for the nursing home industry, along with nursing home owners and executives, give legislators what they want: a lot of cash to fund reelection campaigns. In return, legislators give nursing homes what they want – millions more tax dollars via the Medicaid program to fund operations with no expectations for how the dollars are used, and no questions about what they accomplish. And NO CAMERAS IN ROOMS!

Why does the nursing home industry want to deny families and residents the right to have cameras in their rooms?

Good nursing homes don’t fear cameras. They’ve got nothing to hide.

Poorly operating nursing homes, however, do have things to hide. The last thing they want is more people with video evidence of what goes on inside the walls — low staffing levels, a lack of response to call lights, inadequately trained staff, or poor quality of care.

The industry does not want sunlight on its facilities. They know that negative headlines about poorly serving ones tarnish the entire industry.

Cameras in rooms would enhance the quality of care.

Facility owners, leaders and staff would know that they would be held accountable for the type and level of service provided. The better facilities would be rewarded with more customers. The inadequate ones would lose them; maybe even go out of business.

That’s the way the economy is supposed to work.

Cameras are a symptom of the real problem

The real problem is the quality of care in nursing homes. The clamor for cameras would subside if the public had confidence that homes were providing the care residents deserve.

We’ve talked and written about the lack of quality care in nursing homes for over a decade: It’s time for accountability for nursing home quality. The known solutions to the problems have been ignored by elected leaders all that time.

Allowing camera use in rooms is low-hanging fruit. Twenty states already do. It’s an easy, inexpensive, and common-sense step; a step that the Legislature should take this year!

What can you do?

Our next governor can choose to maintain the status quo or be the champion for nursing home residents and their families. Iowans can encourage the candidates to commit to providing strong leadership on quality-of-care issues. The weight of the office can drive legislative action.

The choice is yours to make.

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John and Terri Hale are co-owners of The Hale Group, an Ankeny-based consulting, advocacy and communication firm focused on older Iowans, Iowans with disabilities, and the caregivers who support them.