Washington, D.C. — Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) issued the following statement on bill (S.2943) sponsored by Senator Blumenthal (D-CT) that includes revisions to minimum nurse staffing requirements for skilled nursing centers.
“The skilled nursing profession has serious concerns about the practical implementation of the proposals in this bill. Today, our profession suffers from a critical workforce shortage and setting minimum staffing levels will not solve that issue. We need solutions like loan forgiveness that will help attract more workers to the long term care profession.
“In addition, the shortfall in Medicaid funding has already led to facility closures across the country. Without additional funding, it’s impossible for facilities to implement new mandates, such as those included in this bill, without risking more closures. We appreciate the interest in quality of care and skilled nursing facilities but we need discussions about real solutions like the proposals that will allow reinstatement of CNA training programs. These types of bipartisan solutions can help make meaningful progress and ensure access to care for seniors and individuals with disabilities across the country.”
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents 14,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit
www.ahca.org or
www.ncal.org.