The Great Resignation. The Big Quit. The Great Reshuffle.
You've likely heard at least one of those terms used in the last 2+ years and their meaning is pretty obvious. Beginning in early 2021, in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic, there was a mass exodus of workers from the job market - many of them voluntarily. The industry that was hit hardest by this? HEALTH CARE.
According to a survey conducted by American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), 61% of nursing homes reported limiting their admissions due to staffing shortages, while another 73% expressed their concerns about having to close their doors due to staffing issues (1)
Between 2020 and 2022, there has been a 16% increase in facilities reporting staff shortages, according to Seniorly Resource Center. States with the highest percentage of facilities with staffing shortages include Minnesota, Washington, Maine, and Kansas. The largest shortages have been for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, vocational nurses, and aides (2). North Carolina ranked 14th in the nation in 2022, with 27% of facilities reporting staff shortages. By discipline, aides ranked the highest at 41%.
How are long-term care communities, which were already struggling with keep
facilities consistently staffed BEFORE the pandemic, supposed to rebound? In an effort to answer that question, FutureCare NC implemented the NC Caregivers program, which began in March 2021. This CMP-funded program addresses the critical shortage of nurse's aides by offering CNA training reimbursement, access to CNA positions in long-term care facilities across the State, a retention bonus for 6 months of employment, and 15 webinars to provide education and perspective on caring for long-term care residents.
To date, this program has trained over 2,000 new CNAs in North Carolina and have just begun the final year of their program. They are partnering with 55 community colleges and 13 proprietary colleges across the State to offer the NC Caregivers program. Additionally, there are 236 participating long-term care communities that are partnering with NC Caregivers to hire newly trained CNAs, with the goal of keeping qualified, consistent staff in their facilities.
We are overwhelmed by the success of this program in its first two years and optimistic of its potential in its final project year! If you have any questions about the program, you can visit their website or contact Renee Batts.