James November-December 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 38
to reach pre-pandemic staffing levels.”
According to Downing, Georgia
has some of the lowest employed
registered nurse-to-population ratios
in the country. That means the state’s
long term care providers are forced
to compete with hospitals and other
healthcare settings for a dwindling
pool of nurses. “Homes that cannot
find staff are forced to hire agency staff
at exorbitant costs,” notes Downing.
“And many homes that have not been
able to find staff have been forced
to limit admissions or even close full
wings, reducing access to care for
seniors in their area.”
While the workforce crisis is
anticipated to worsen in Georgia and
nationally, Downing explains that
the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has elected to impose a
minimum staffing mandate for nursing
centers at the federal level.
“This mandate does not include
any resources or funding to build a
pipeline of caregivers amid the ongo-
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JAMES
services— and GHCA is well-positioned
to lead the way in meeting this demand. “The silver tsunami is upon us,
with the oldest of the baby boomers
nearing the age where they will need
long term care. This ushers in a period
when the need for skilled nursing care
will grow dramatically,” said Downing.
“Our long-term care providers continue
to evolve and innovate to ensure they
are ready to meet the needs of this
growing elder population.”
Downing explained that Georgia’s
long term care residents and their
families have expressed high levels of
satisfaction with the care and service
being provided at their nursing center
through annual satisfaction surveys.
Additionally, GHCA members consistently have lower rehospitalization
rates for residents newly admitted to
skilled care compared to other national
The Future of Long-Term Care
nursing centers, and Georgia centers’
As the aging population in Georrates of successful discharge to the
gia continues to grow, so too will the
community for short stay residents are
demand for high-quality long-term care higher than the national average.
ing workforce crisis and threatens the
viability of our members to continue
to meet the needs of Georgia seniors,”
Downing said. “Our analysis estimates
that this mandate will put over 10,700
vulnerable seniors at risk of being displaced from the nursing centers they
call home. GHCA and our members are
doing all we can to speak out against
this flawed policy and work with our
state’s leaders to safeguard access to
care for Georgia’s seniors.”
Addressing this workforce crisis
means advocating for policies that attract and retain talent in the industry.
Through partnerships with educational institutions, workforce development
boards and state agencies, GHCA
continues to help build a pipeline of
skilled workers prepared to meet the
demands of an aging population.
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