Maine state Sen. Brad Farrin (R) is urging Gov. Janet Mills to channel more federal funds toward increasing reimbursement rates for direct care workers in the state.
Mills announced a plan earlier this month to distribute $1.13 billion in coronavirus relief across the state, with $12.5 million, or just just less than 1% of that funding, slated for the state’s nursing facilities. About 55% of Maine’s COVID-19-related deaths have been residents of long-term care facilities.
“It’s a prioritization issue,” Farrin told News Center Maine, “and I think the legislature should have a seat at the table.”
Farrin said that reimbursement rates for direct care workers have not kept pace with the minimum wage increase.
“And it’s the legislators and the governor’s responsibility, in my opinion, that we have to bridge that gap,” Farrin told the news outlet.
Rick Erb, president and CEO of the Maine Health Care Association, told News Center Maine that government COVID relief largely has dried up compared with resources available earlier in the pandemic.
