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  5. » LeadingAge NY Reiterates Need for LTC Nurses in Third and Final Nurses Across NY Workgroup Meeting

LeadingAge NY Reiterates Need for LTC Nurses in Third and Final Nurses Across NY Workgroup Meeting

On Sept. 13th, LeadingAge NY participated in the third and final stakeholder workgroup meeting for the Nurses Across New York (NANY) program. LeadingAge NY was proud to be asked to serve on this group, which is providing recommendations to the State on the development of this loan repayment program established in the State budget. The program will provide loan repayment for Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who commit to serve for three years in underserved areas. Click here for an overview of the program.

In the third meeting, workgroup members heard from Valerie Grey, Senior Vice Chancellor of State University of New York (SUNY) Nursing Programs, about SUNY Nursing Programs, the shortage of nurses, and SUNY strategies for enhancing pathways for students to receive nurse licensure. Workgroup members also heard from Elsa Magee and Lisa Simpson from the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation about their programs and best practices. Following these presentations, the Department of Health’s (DOH) Division of Workforce Transformation opened up a presentation and discussion of the workgroup's recommendations to date and if there were additional considerations to be made.

During the discussion, LeadingAge NY reiterated that the goals of the program should be recruitment, retention, and incentivizing people to work in settings they may not have otherwise chosen to. We again stressed that long term care should be regarded as underserved populations for the purposes of this program, including nursing homes, assisted living, home care, adult day health care, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE programs). We continue to highlight that the need is urgent in aging and long term care services and will only grow as our aging population in New York grows. Other members of the workgroup echoed the need in long term care, particularly in nursing homes and home care. Workgroup members also stressed the importance of directing the program to nurses providing direct care.

In the days following the meeting, LeadingAge NY took the opportunity to write to the newly established DOH Office of Aging and Long-Term Care to re-enforce our final recommendations. That letter, sent on Sept. 23rd, is available here.

The workgroup's goal is to have an application for the program drafted by Sept. 30, 2022. While LeadingAge NY has not yet received any additional updates on the status of that application, we anticipate it will be made available in the coming weeks. We will be sure to alert members when the application becomes available and continue to monitor other updates or opportunities for input regarding the program.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828