WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) President and CEO Mark Parkinson sent a letter to President Biden yesterday underscoring serious concerns regarding a federal staffing mandate for nursing homes that is expected to be issued soon by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
In the letter, Parkinson highlights the fact that while nursing homes across the country have gone to extraordinary lengths to attract new staff, there simply are not enough available to hire. And while labor shortages are impacting all health care settings, nursing homes need to recruit nearly
190,000 workers to return to pre-pandemic levels. Historic labor shortages are making it impossible for providers to fill essential caregiver positions and many have been forced to close or limit admissions.
AHCA/NCAL cautions President Biden that a federal staffing mandate would worsen access to care for seniors by forcing even more nursing homes to shut their doors for good.
“If your Administration imposes this mandate, more nursing homes will close, especially facilities that uniquely serve our most vulnerable,” writes Parkinson. “Nursing homes that primarily care for residents on Medicaid won’t have the resources to recruit staff or pay for this mandate. Those facilities, as well as those who they serve and employ, will be hurt the most.”
Rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate, Parkinson is requesting the Biden Administration to focus on supportive policies that bolster the long term care workforce as well as creative solutions that recognize changing demographics.
“Instead of a mandate, we need to implement 21st Century solutions to this 21st Century problem,” Parkinson continues. “Those include changing our immigration policies to attract thousands of international nurses, using innovative technology to help provide better care with fewer people, and continuing our efforts to help seniors stay at home as long as possible.”
Read the full letter
here.