'Unrealistic' staffing mandates threaten access to care

Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society say a federal staffing mandate could have negative effects across the country.

They spent part of this week airing their concerns to lawmakers at the 2024 American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill.

The event saw its highest attendance yet, with more than 700 providers from across the country.

“This is a really critical time in the history of our industry,” Nate Schemer, president and CEO of the Good Samaritan Society, told Sanford Health News. “I would say there is no greater existential threat than the final staffing rule coming from this administration.”

This invitation-only event provides AHCA/NCAL members with the opportunity to interact with elected officials, gain insight into the latest legislative and policy developments, and collaborate with other industry leaders.

This year, we focused on the current state of long-term care, advocating for legislative policies that protect seniors’ access to care and strengthen the long-term care workforce.

“We have visited every office in Congress, which shows how important this time is,” Schemah added. “We have visited every [lawmaker] We will hear from providers about what this rule means for them.”

Impact of Federal Regulation

The Protecting Access to Care for America’s Elderly Act (S.3410/HR7513) would block federal staffing mandates for nursing homes that the Administration recently finalized.

New data shows only 6% of care homes currently meet all four requirements.

Across the Good Samaritan Society’s jurisdiction, only 5 percent of facilities meet the requirement to have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours a day.

The nonprofit will need to hire an additional 207 registered nurses and about 400 nursing assistants to comply with federal regulations.

“This is an impossible task because we are short on manpower,” Schema said. “As it stands, we don’t have a pipeline, but we are committed to providing quality care and believe we can do that every day.”

Chief Operating Officer Amy Middleton said this was an opportunity to come together with leaders and caregivers from across the country.

“You can feel the energy as we speak out here together and spend time with our legislators and make sure they really understand what it’s like,” Middleton told Sanford Health News.

“Currently 70% of our bases are in rural areas, so it’s important we get that message out and raise awareness of the differences and additional challenges we face in rural areas.”

Share your story

One of those caregivers is Tiffany Zannow, who oversees medication and scheduling in Albion, Nebraska.

“I’m here to make sure they know how important our local long-term care facilities are to our communities,” Zarnow said. “Maintaining these facilities is crucial.”

Another caregiver is Laura Salonek, a city administrator in Howard Lake, Minnesota. Salonek said she was grateful for the opportunity to share her story and that of Howard Lake with lawmakers.

“Our facility in Howard Lake is a five-star facility,” Salonek said, “five-star staff, five-star quality, five-star survey results, low turnover, a great work environment. But the reality is, we don’t have enough qualified caregivers and nurses.”

Full-time nursing positions at Howard Lake are taking longer than 240 days to fill, she said.

“My concern is that if this order goes into effect and we have to have certain staffing, we will be forced to stop taking residents or turn them away,” Salonek added. “Where will our residents go? Where will they get the quality care that we provide at Howard Lake?”

“We remain committed to working with policymakers to find meaningful, commonsense solutions to address the workforce crisis and protect access to health care for our nation’s seniors,” Schema said.

Sanford Health News caught up with each leader to reflect on their time in Washington, D.C. The leaders and caregivers included: