The budget to bring a federal program to life for the goal of recruiting more people to work in nursing homes now has a $200 million budget, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet OZ, speaking at a CMS conference on March 16.

He told the audience that all 50 states have reached out to CMS to be part of the program “to contribute money so all of us can train more nurses designed for nursing home staffing, especially in rural areas.”

Oz added that the program will be launched this summer.

The Nursing Home Staffing Campaign has the stated goal of increasing the number of nurses working in nursing homes and at related state agencies, ultimately improving and protecting residents’ health and safety, CMS said.

The feds and Civil Money Penalties will fund the program.

As part of the effort, CMS will provide:

• Financial Incentives for Nurses, like loan repayment and stipends to encourage RNs/LPNs to work in nursing homes and state agencies. Specifically, qualified RNs and LPNs will be able to receive up to $40,000 for loan repayment and/or a $10,000 stipend in return for working three years in a qualifying nursing home or state inspection agency.

  
  

• Enhanced Training Opportunities by streamlining the process for individuals to become a CNA, which can include paid, on-the-job training, making it easier for individuals to enter the nursing home workforce.

  
  

• CMS also has a nurse recruitment webpage for prospective nurses that highlights and provides direct links to state websites and their local CNA training programs.

  
  

States in the Plan, Too

State partnerships are part of the CMS strategy, as well. States can provide additional financial incentives to RNs to work in nursing homes in their state, improve their websites for nurse aide training to make it easier for individuals to find and enroll in training programs, and amplify this campaign to ensure the messages about the value of working in nursing homes reaches as many potential nurses as possible, CMS said.

Access this video and letter with a message from the CMS administrator to all governors to encourage state collaboration on this program.

Less clear is a CMS note that it would also collaborate with “various interested parties, such as resident advocates, nursing organizations, and nursing home associations to strengthen the campaign by amplifying recruitment messages and promoting incentives to work in nursing homes.”

Questions or comments? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.