Home Health & Hospice Week

Home care providers aren’t the only ones who recognize that access problems continue to be exacerbated by staffing shortages — but will additional funding provide enough help? A number of interested parties, both government and private, aim to find out.

On Aug. 10, the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration announced awards of more than $100 million to train more nurses and grow the nursing workforce. “These investments will address the increasing demand for registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and nurse faculty,” HRSA says in a release.

“Now more than ever, we need to double down on our investments in nurses who care for communities across the country,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says in the release.

HRSA specifically mentions home and community-based care nursing needs in the release. A list of all 23 awards is at https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-grant/fy-23-nursing-workforce-awards.

The funding bump is welcome in particular because “the funding for most of these programs has been level or cut in recent years,” LeadingAge points out on its website.

In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay aim to certify 10,000 new home care workers in the next three years through a free, online certification program. The program includes a $500 bonus for individuals who become certified and remain employed for six months, reports Wisconsin Public Radio.

Funding for the program comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, WPR notes.

But advocates worry that low Medicaid reimbursement rates for direct care workers will cause continuing worker shortages, they say.

Meanwhile in Indiana, insurer UnitedHealth is ponying up $2.85 million to help combat care worker shortages, it says in a release. “Investing in building a strong and sustainable direct service workforce is essential to better serve the Hoosiers who want to age in their homes and communities,” Chris Callahan, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Indiana, says in the statement.

UnitedHealth is funding four organizations working to advance the direct service health workforce in the state, including $1.1 million for the Indiana Association for Home & Hospice Care. The money will go to “an assistance program that provides benefits to DSWs such as funding for child care, car repairs, gas money, financial well-being and other needs that may hinder their ability to be fully involved in their professional lives,” UnitedHealth describes.

“We are excited about this opportunity, which will allow DSWs to have a higher quality of life so they can better assist the increasing number of seniors who decide to age in their homes,” IAHHC’s Evan Reinhardt says in the release.