Nursing homes struggle to recover from pandemic

Although nursing homes increased employee wages more than any other health care sector during the pandemic, staffing is at a nearly 30-year low. Holly Harmon, senior vice president of quality, regulatory and clinical services for the American Health Care Association (AHCA), stated in a HealthLeaders interview that 98% of facilities are having difficulty hiring due to a lack of interest and qualifications from potential candidates. She said nursing homes, which are “uniquely reliant” on government funding, need policy makers to support getting resources and programs in place to build a caregiver pipeline to improve recruitment and retention. AHCA is developing partnerships with local institutions to train students, creating an opportunity for students to receive on-the-job instruction and for facilities to benefit from a talent pipeline. (HealthLeaders Media article, 9/1/22)