CM – Survey: PA Long-Term Care Industry in Crisis

Two court rulings over Texas’s controversial abortion law have challenged vendors how to proceed, and a door-to-door campaign in Florida hopes to find 11,000 missing students.

The White House detects for the first time Indigenous Peoples Day; three national monuments restored; and Biden and Trump call for unity as they assemble their bases before 2022.

Longing for the family farm and courses to learn the ropes; Childcare costs could be more affordable under the American Rescue Plan; a dramatic increase in America’s multiracial population; and poetry for Indigenous Peoples Day.

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania – With long-term care facilities under staff shortages, fears are growing that many vulnerable older adults and their carers will be left to fend for themselves if they close.
A recent survey of 82 nursing home, nursing home and assisted living community operators and administrators found that nearly 40% of respondents said they couldn’t afford to keep facilities open for more than another year.
Many of the problems stem from a shortage of long-term care workers who experienced low wages and burnout during the pandemic. Most of the facilities also had to limit new registrations in the last six months.
Zach Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, which conducted the survey of its members, said the results were alarming.
« They are forced to turn away potential residents because they do not have enough manpower to care for these new residents and continue the care, » observed Shamberg. « In one of the oldest states by our population, that should be a real concern for every single Pennsylvanian. »
Wages in Pennsylvania long-term care facilities vary, with registered nurses making an average of $ 37 an hour and certified nursing assistants making an average of $ 15 an hour.
For those surveyed, more than 80% said that retention is their greatest challenge.
Shamberg pointed out that one of the problems facility operators face is that 70% of care in government nursing homes is paid for by Medicaid. However, costs have increased while Medicaid reimbursement rates have stagnated.
« This Medicaid reimbursement enables them to provide care, but it also enables them to raise their wages and provide benefits, » said Shamberg. « And until we see a meaningful investment from heads of state, we won’t be able to invest in our workers. »
According to the association, reimbursement rates are under an estimated $ 50 per day. Shamberg noted that another way Pennsylvania can save long-term care in the state is to pass laws to cut red tape and regulatory frameworks that are hindering entry into a career in the industry.

PORTLAND, Oregon. – Booster recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine have been published for some people. Oregon follows the FDA and CDC recommending booster vaccinations for people 65 and older who have received the Pfizer vaccine for at least six months before.
Boosters are also recommended for younger people who are at risk of serious infection from other medical conditions and for frontline workers.
Dr. Kristen Dillon, senior advisor to the COVID Response and Recovery Unit for the state of Oregon, said the vaccines offer good protection but decrease in weight over time and in greater ways for the elderly.
« This is why the recommendation, especially for older people, is so strong that they should get the booster just to boost their immunity, » advised Dillon. « With vaccinations, it’s pretty common that we need multiple vaccinations to have a really robust ability to withstand infection. »
Dillon pointed out that booster shots are common for other vaccines like tetanus and flu shots. She urged people to speak to their GP or go to getvaccinated.oregon.gov to find a vaccination site.
Boosters are not yet recommended for the Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines, but that may change in the coming weeks.
Dillon argued that vaccines are the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic.
« For anyone who wants to get vaccinated and sees the value of the vaccination, the booster does a lot better protection for us and helps us all get back to the way we really want, » said Dillon.
AARP Oregon recommends eligible individuals receive a booster vaccination to end the pandemic. It will hold a conference call on Booster Thursday. Dillon noted that most important for people who haven’t had their first shot or shots and can do so safely to get them.

BENTON HARBOR, Michigan – As Congress continues to negotiate infrastructure and social safety nets bills, environmental justice advocates say actions like replacing lead pipes can’t wait.
Drinking water systems for more than nine million households across the country contain lead pipes, with black, brown and low-income communities disproportionately affected.
Mustafa Santiago Ali, vice president of environmental justice, climate and community revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, said removing lead pipes will benefit children’s health and educational outcomes as exposure to lead is linked to children’s learning and reading difficulties.
« It then also helps to increase values ​​within communities, property values, because we know that there is a huge wealth gap between black and brown communities and white communities, » said Ali. « There are so many different positive things that can happen. »
Last month, environmental groups filed an emergency petition with the Environmental Protection Agency to obtain free, safe drinking water for Benton Harbor, a black-majority community in southwest Michigan. The city has reported extremely high levels of lead in local water for three years.
Ali pointed out that the federal threshold for taking action is when lead is detected in excess of 15 parts per billion. At Benton Harbor, some of the water in households has been tested at more than 800 parts per billion. He added that the water crisis, as happened in Flint, is an example of divestment in a community.
« We have ‘victim zones’ all over our country where people have chosen to divest in certain areas, » said Ali. « And often these areas are our black and brown communities and indigenous communities, sometimes our lower-income white communities. So we have a chance to change that dynamic. »
More than 60% of Americans in recent polls said they support $ 1 trillion in legislation now passed in Congress to improve roads, bridges, broadband, and other infrastructure, including funding lead pipe replacement .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Mentally capable, terminally ill patients less than six months old will now have much easier access to medical care while dying, thanks to a law just signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Patients still have to get approval from two doctors, but Senate Draft 380 cuts the waiting time between two oral requests for the prescription from 15 days to 48 hours.
Amanda Villegas, an attorney and widow of cancer patient Chris Davis, who passed away shortly after diagnosis in 2019 without access to end-of-life care, said his suffering – and that of his family – had prolonged unnecessarily.
« He wanted other patients not to have to endure what he endured, » says Villegas. « He told me, ‘Don’t stop. Show the photos, tell my story. Let them know that has to change.' »
Groups opposed to the bill invoke religious and moral concerns. A study by Kaiser found that a third of terminally ill adults who seek medical help while dying die before they have completed the claims process. Lawyers estimate that since California’s End of Life Option Act went into effect five years ago, nearly 1,400 people have died before receiving a prescription.
The bill also requires hospitals and hospices to post their attitudes on euthanasia on their websites so patients don’t waste valuable time figuring out if their provider is ready to help.
Kim Callinan, President and CEO of the Compassion and Choices Action Network, said she hopes other states will follow the example of the Golden State.
« This is a huge victory right now for the Californians and for truly dying Americans in every state, » said Callinan.
The law comes into force on January 1st. Nine other states and Washington D.C. have passed medical euthanasia laws.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Two Maryland men have received AARP Maryland’s top honors for people 50 and older who give back to their communities …

SEARCHLIGHT, Nevada – In honor of Today’s Indigenous Peoples Day, many are calling Nevada’s aborigines set up a new national …

HOUSTON – Two court rulings in one week over the controversial abortion law in Texas have prompted vendors to question the way forward.

Last Tuesday, a federal … COLUMBUS, Ohio – Children’s advocacy groups argue that school health care centers are a worthwhile investment for Ohio’s children.

Tracy …

OMAHA, Neb. – Tribal colleges and universities in Nebraska and across the country teach the next generation of preschool and elementary schools …

TAMARAC, Florida – Broward County teachers and volunteers started one unique ad campaign to find up to 11,000 students who either haven’t …

RICHFIELD, Minnesota – School districts across the country are discussing how racial issues should be taught in the classroom, but it’s not …

SANTA FE, NM – A museum in New Mexico is in the first phase of creating an exhibit dedicated to the history of indigenous voting.

Still in 1962 …

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll-free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830
Your trusted member and audience based news source since 1996
Copyright ©? 2021