Seventy-three percent of nursing homes in the U.S. are concerned they will have to close over staffing shortages, a new survey published June 6 from the American Healthcare Association and National Center for Assisted Living found.
"Lawmakers across the country must prioritize long term care residents and staff and that begins with providing resources to address workforce challenges," said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Healthcare Association. "As a provider that uniquely relies on government funding, policymakers must help nursing homes better compete for nurses and nurse aides, as well as build up the pipeline to incentivize more people to pursue a career in long term care."
Four key findings:
- Sixty percent of facilities said their workforce situation has worsened since January.
- Ninety-nine percent of facilities are asking staff to work overtime or extra shifts.
- Eighty-seven percent are currently experiencing moderate to high staffing shortages. Of those, 48 percent are at a high level.
- Ninety-eight percent are experiencing difficulty hiring staff.
Read the full report here.