Today, Stephen B. Hanse, NYSHFA | NYSCAL's President and CEO, alongside Mark Olsen, Executive Director at Shake Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, testified before the New York State Assembly during a public hearing in New York City to examine the status of the health care workforce across the State.
During the day-long hearing convened by the Assembly Standing Committees on Health, Mental Health, People with Disabilities, Higher Education, and Labor, legislators heard from numerous organizations concerned with the trajectory the State healthcare workforce is headed, especially when it comes to recruitment and retention. From nursing homes to hospitals and county health officials, the concern was shared -- New York MUST do something now to stem the tide of a waning workforce. NYSHFA | NYSCAL's testimony highlighted the crisis felt across the nursing home industry in particular, an industry that has failed to recoup workers from pre-pandemic levels with no short-term end in sight.
Today's hearing was an opportune time to recommend the legislative and regulatory solutions that NYSHFA | NYSCAL will be advocating for during the 2024 Legislative Session which kicks off on January 3, including:
- Medicaid rate adequacy to cover the true cost of care
- Inclusion of therapy professionals (OT, PT, RT) within the "count" for direct care when calculating a facility's 3.5-hour staffing
- Support for certified medication aides to work in nursing homes to get RNs back to the bedside
Read NYSHFA | NYSCAL's full testimony here.