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Illinois
Council on Long Term Care
Illinois Health Care Association
Life Services Network of Illinois
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 13, 2006
95%
of Illinois Legislative Candidates Support Funding
for Nursing Home Staff Recruitment and Retention
CHICAGO – Ninety-five
percent of the 60 state candidates responding to a
recent survey feel that Illinois should create a $25
million pilot grant program to establish research-based
techniques to help recruit and retain dedicated nurses
and nursing assistants in long term care facilities.
“The quality of a nursing and
rehabilitation facility directly reflects the quality of
its staff,” said Dennis Bozzi, executive director for
Life Services Network of Illinois. “The long-term care
community is facing a real staffing crisis. Illinois
legislators need to address the recruitment and
retention of staff seriously and deliberatively to
maintain a safety net of care for Illinois’ elderly
and disabled citizens.”
The Illinois Council on Long Term
Care, the Illinois Health Care Association and Life
Services Network of Illinois recently distributed a
questionnaire about the key issues affecting the future
of long term care to all state candidates running for
representative and senator.
Illinois is in the midst of a
decade-long shortage of nurses and declining enrollment
in nursing schools. A survey by the American Health Care
Association reveals an immediate need nationally for
14,000 additional nurses in nursing homes. The average
age of a nurse is long term care is now over 50 years
old.
Staff turnover rates of 50 percent
for nurses and 100 percent for nursing assistants are
common both within Illinois and nationally. Recruitment
costs are estimated to be $2700 to $4000 to replace a
certified nursing assistant and $10,000 to replace a
registered nurse. Without a stable, competent and
experienced staff who know their residents, care is not
individualized and clinical outcomes for patients are
less than optimal.
“The caregiving professionals we
encourage today will care for us tomorrow,” said
Terrence Sullivan, executive director of the Illinois
Council on Long Term Care. “A stable healthcare
workforce is good for patient care, good for employees
and good for our local economies.”
The recent legislative candidate
questionnaire also revealed the following:
- One-hundred
percent of the 60 state candidates who responded
support career ladders for nursing assistants to
allow them to become better trained while giving
them the opportunity to advance into a nursing
career; and
- Ninety-three
percent of the 60 state candidates who responded
support dedicating 20 percent of existing nursing
scholarships given by the state to nurses committed
to serving seniors in long term care.
“There is no single magic
solution for attracting and retaining competent and
dedicated health care workers,” said Dave Voepel,
executive director of the Illinois Health Care
Association. “But by utilizing research-based
solutions for facilitating career opportunities in long
term care, providing the necessary training and support,
and opening up career advancement opportunities, we can
lay a strong foundation for ensuring we have a stable
healthcare workforce both now and in the future.”
“Nurses and nursing assistants
are at the very heart of the relationship to care, and
we need to advance, empower and support these dedicated
individuals,” said Representative Elizabeth Coulson,
(R-17, Glenview). “We need to break down the barriers
that prevent caring, competent and trained people from
coming into long term care. The staffing crisis in
nursing and rehabilitation facilities makes this the
time to take action.”
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The state’s three long term care
associations – the Illinois Council on Long Term Care,
the Illinois Health Care Association, and Life Services
Network of Illinois – have joined together as the
Illinois Long Term Care Coalition to educate
policymakers about their commitment to care. This
coalition represents more than 60,000 healthcare
professionals, therapists and caregivers serving 80,000
residents in more than 800 specialized nursing and
rehabilitation facilities in Illinois.
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