Rural seniors may ‘pay the price’ of federal staffing minimum: AHCA board member

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is exiting the pandemic as a much different organization than what it was just five years ago, cutting its massive footprint back to seven states and, with its parent organization, Sanford Health, pursuing a merger with another major Midwestern health system. The pandemic “forced us to reflect on who and where we serve,” CEO Nate Schema told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas at the AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing on June 6. Schema is the association’s not-for-profit board member and spent his time in DC sharing insights with key Midwestern leaders on the possible implications of a coming federal staffing minimum. He and several other Good Sam leaders also stressed the need for common-sense legislation that can help create a workforce pipeline for skilled nursing facilities. His chief concern remains impact on rural access to care. “It’s no secret: We’ve closed 13 buildings now over the last two years. It’s forced people to now have to make some really hard decisions, and I don’t want to ever have to be in that situation where I’m standing in front of family members and loved ones and say, ‘You going to have to drive another hour or two away,’ Schema says in this episode, recording live at the Briefing. “I’m concerned that a minimum staffing mandate could create an even greater disproportionate impact on our rural seniors. It’s those seniors who are going to pay the price.”