On June 6^th and June 7^th, Medline joined the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), and 500-plus long-term care providers, at the annual Congressional Briefing to advocate for solutions to critical issues impacting care organizations.

This year’s legislative meetings focused on the financial future of the long-term care industry. With a majority of the country’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities struggling financially due to inflation and the rising costs to run their facilities, Medline team members discussed viable resources to help increase access to care in communities.

“Our vendor partners are essential to the work we do by uniting with our members to participate in the Congressional Briefing,” said Mark Parkinson, AHCA President & CEO. “When nursing home providers and their partners advocate on the Hill, it makes a difference in the lives of the millions of residents they serve.”

A critical aspect of driving long-term success of care organizations is making sure there is staff to care for residents. To help address the workforce shortage, advocates asked Congress to co-sponsor the Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act. The legislation provides a reasonable grace period of 24 months to continue emergency waivers, after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, enabling temporary nurse aides to transition to long-term roles. They also asked Congress to support the bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act to recapture unused visas from previous fiscal years for doctors, nurses, and their families. The legislation also allows for the entry of nurses with approved immigrant visas, and allows physicians with approved immigrant petitions to adjust their status to durable immigration and continue to care for patients.

“It was incredible to have everyone back together in person and witness the amazing progress that can be made when you have 500 professionals all working in the same direction for the advancement of quality,” said Shawn Scott, vice president of strategic business development. “Over the two days, our Medline team was able to participate in more than 100 meetings with legislators and we look forward to continue working alongside Congress to develop solutions for the long-term care sector.”

Learn more about how Medline is helping long-term care providers improve operating performance and enhance care initiatives.