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he severe shortage of nurses and nurse assistants in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health agencies could be reduced and quality of care would be improved with the passage of healthcare staffing recruitment and retention legislation that was reported out of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on November 1. The Nurse Recruitment Act was introduced by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass, and James Jeffords, I-Vt. The Nurse Employment and Education Development Act was introduced by Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark.
       “Long-term care providers are hampered by a tight labor market, noncompetitive wage and benefit levels limited by current Medicare and Medicaid rates, negative perceptions of long-term care, and limited opportunities for career achievement,” explained Larry Minnix, president and CEO of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA).
       AAHSA supports the provisions in the Kerry-Jeffords and Hutchinson bills to establish a Nurse Corps and recruitment and retention strategies to address the nurse and nurse assistant shortage. “AAHSA strongly encourages the Senate leadership in both parties to include provisions increasing the Medicaid reimbursement for training nurse assistants before this legislation is enacted into law,” Minnix added.
       For more information on AAHSA, visit www.aahsa.org.