Michigan’s Healthcare Workforce Sustainability Alliance is asking the state legislature for $650 million to help offset staffing shortages. The funds would be directed toward rewarding current front-line employees, as well as scholarships to remove financial barriers and incentivize the future workforce.
The newly formed coalition is made up of the the Health Care Association of Michigan — the state affiliate of the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services, the Michigan Community College Association and the American Nurses Association of Michigan.
“We must bring more people into the sector. The dedicated caregivers at our facilities need reinforcements, HCAM President and CEO Melissa Samuel said at a press conference last week.
“This proposal helps with retention of caregivers by rewarding them for their dedication to their residents during the pandemic. It also helps with attraction by offering meaningful relief for those individuals pursuing healthcare careers in the form of significant scholarship dollars,” she added.
Based on a recent survey of members, Samuel said that HCAM estimates that Michigan’s skilled nursing facilities have lost 17% of the workforce, or almost 11,000 employees.
“Nearly half of our state’s nursing facilities have had to close units or beds due to staffing shortages,” she said.
The Future Healthcare Heroes Scholarship Program would provide up to two years of scholarship money to people who are seeking degrees and certifications in the healthcare field at qualifying community colleges or universities and as many as 25,000 could qualify for the program if the funding is approved, the Detroit Free Press reported.
“There are many short-term and long-term workforce challenges that need to be met with immediate and long-term solutions. This proposal is a meaningful step that can be quickly implemented by the state to assure our residents receive the care they need,” Samuel said.
