Press Release: Long-Term Care Imperative Applauds Health Care Decompression Strike Teams

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Libbie Chapuran

SAINT PAUL, MN (Oct. 15, 2021) - Minnesota is experiencing a crisis in caregiving, and it is affecting the entire health care continuum. We applaud efforts to address health care backups through strike teams. Strike teams are very much needed to provide temporary relief and respite to exhausted caregivers. But it will not solve one of the root causes of the problem: staffing shortages in long-term care.

In additional to strike teams, we need lawmakers to act quickly to fund immediate, permanent wage increases to support recruitment and retention efforts in long-term care.

Nearly 70% of nursing homes in Minnesota are limiting admissions, and the primary reason cited was insufficient staff to meet resident needs. This hold on admissions is creating backups in hospitals that impact the delivery of health care for everyone, as hospitals cannot discharge patients to appropriate post-acute or long-term care settings.

We greatly appreciate this health care decompression effort by Governor Walz and his administration; every step helps. With 23,000 caregiver positions open in long-term care across our state, we need bold solutions to address Minnesota’s shortage of caregivers.

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The Long-Term Care Imperative is a collaboration of LeadingAge Minnesota and Care Providers of Minnesota, two of the state’s largest long-term care associations. The Long-Term Care Imperative is committed to advancing a shared vision and future for older adult housing, health care and supportive services.

CONTACT: Libbie Chapuran
lchapuran@leadingagemn.org
715-216-1057