Washington is creating ‘barriers’ to staffing nursing homes, LTC official charges.
The U.S. State Department’s freezing of green card and visa petitions will keep seniors from getting the long-term care they need, a long-term care official charges
"At a time when the Administration plans to propose a federal staffing mandate for nursing homes, Washington should not simultaneously create barriers to recruit the nurses we so urgently need," Clif Porter, senior vice president of Government Relations for the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), said in a statement.
The freeze directly affects the healthcare sector, which has begun to lean on foreign workers—namely nurses—who have helped alleviate its workforce shortage. Foreign workers who filed green card petitions prior to June 2022 are the only ones allowed to proceed to the interview stage for employment; all other petitioners waiting for an interview are "paused," according to the bulletin issued by the state department.
Nursing homes lost approximately 200,000 workers over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic —the most of any healthcare sector.
AHCA/NCAL has long been pushing for "common-sense" immigration reform to address long-term care's workforce struggles. It's included among other workforce policy solutions as its own agenda, the Care For Our Seniors Act.
About 20% of nurses working in the United States are immigrants, and 5,000 foreign nurses are waiting for their visa to be processed so they can join them, , according to the American Association of International Healthcare.
"We need Congress to expand and expedite opportunities for caregivers who wish to live and work in the United States, especially those who are willing to care [for] our nation's seniors," Porter said. "Immigrants make up a vital part of our workforce and are critical to helping us address this historic labor crisis."
AHCA/NCAL is urging Congress to reintroduce and pass the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, which would recapture unused visas from previous fiscal years for nurses and their families.
The organizations, alongside the American Hospital Association, have also proposed that Congress develop and push a temporary visa option, specifically for RNs and other healthcare workers so vitally needed in the United States.
“At a time when the Administration plans to propose a federal staffing mandate for nursing homes, Washington should not simultaneously create barriers to recruit the nurses we so urgently need.”
Clif Porter, senior vice president of Government Relations for the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living
Jasmyne Ray is the revenue cycle editor at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Freezing visa petitions will prevent foreign nursess from being able to work in the U.S. and help alleviate the workforce shortage.
It's estimated that 20% of nurses in the U.S. are immigrants.