Connecticut nursing homes tighten background screenings

Background screening procedures allow businesses, organizations and governments to ensure hires are financially and morally sound. Service industries such as nursing homes are increasingly joining the stream of sectors using these checks to vet applicants. In Connecticut, for example, the state legislature is working on a new system of criminal background checks for those seeking work in nursing homes, The Connecticut Post reports. The system would require facilities to run the fingerprints of applicants through State Police and Federal Bureau of Investigation databases. Currently, the nursing homes are responsible for conducting their own background checks, which at best are basic. "When the applicants that come in who are going to have direct contact with patients or clients, the potential employer should be able to make the best decision possible," Matthew Antonetti, principal attorney for the state Department of Public Health, told the newspaper. "Fingerprint-based checks for potential employees is the gold standard." Congress has been making inroads on making background screenings for other care centers, primarily childcare facilities, stronger as well.