I. FOLLOWING THE NARRATIVE: A quick summary of national media trends last week.
(* indicates that LeadingAge is featured in the story.)
Democrats’ public acknowledgement of the need to trim the Build Back Better plan’s financial scope dominated. Few specifics have emerged on which elements are most vulnerable to cuts. Workforce issues in aging services and impact of vaccine mandates remained coverage topics.
Reconciliation & Vaccine Mandates:
- New York Times: Funding Fight Threatens Plan to Pump Billions into Affordable Housing
- Home Health Care News: 1 in 5 Adults Needs Ongoing Support for Activities of Daily Living
- McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Arizona home care workers demand HCBS funding
- RollCall: Concerns grow over home health care as Democrats debate funding
- CNBC: Progressives urge Pelosi to keep all the social and climate programs in Biden’s economic plan intact
- McKnight’s Senior Living: COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private sector moves closer to reality
- The Washington Post: Biden’s vaccine mandates are still in the works
- *McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Thousands may be headed back to work after ruling on COVID-19 staff vaccine mandate
- The Washington Post: Maryland is doing its own nursing home vaccine mandate
- U.S. News & World Report: What You Need to Know About the Federal Nursing Home Vaccine Mandate
- The Associated Press: Religious Vaccine Exemption Stays for NY Health Care Workers
Caregiving Crisis & Workforce Shortages
- The Washington Post: U.S. pledges $100 million to attract medical workers amid pandemic burnout
- *New York Times: Short on Staff, Some Hospices Ask New Patients to Wait
- *The Daily Journal: Nursing homes in crisis with staff shortages
- *Axios: Low vaccination rates exacerbate America’s caregiving crisis
- McKnights Long-Term Care News: This state’s long-term care providers need 23,000 workers … and counting
- *McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Price-gouging, poaching and thin patience: LTC providers seek fixes for anti-competitive staffing agencies
- Skilled Nursing News: Hardly Any Displaced Workers Are Choosing Direct Care When Reentering Workforce
- Home Health Care News: Millions of Workers Lost Their Jobs During the Pandemic. An ‘Immeasurably Small’ Number Turned to Caregiving
II. Other Clips that Influenced the Week: LeadingAge is a sought-out, reliable source for multiple trade and national media outlets (see that coverage posted in our LeadingAge Press Room). Other key clips that shaped the narrative last week:
- McKnight’s Long Term Care News: Data points to steady decline in nursing home COVID cases, deaths
- AARP: COVID Keeps Pounding Nursing Homes, Killing Over 2,000 Residents in Just 4 Weeks
- *Home Health Care News: Shift to Home May Be Coming for SNFs as Choose Home Bill Introduced in the House
- *McKnight’s Long-Term Care: Providers applaud new Choose Home Care Act legislation in House
- Newsweek: Colorado First State to Include Gender Affirming Care as Essential Health Care Benefit
- The Washington Post: A new model for affordable housing
- The Texan: Nursing Home Essential Caregiver Protection on the November Ballot as Constitutional Amendment
- Home Health Care News: ‘Incredibly Profitable’ PACE Model Teels Up Opportunities for Home-Based Care Providers
- CNBC: FDA Panel Unanimously Recommends Moderna Covid Booster Shots for At-Risk Adults
- Politico: FDA panel endorses broad use of Johnson & Johnson booster shot
III. What’s On Our Radar — this week’s likely priorities:
- Continuation of reconciliation legislation negotiations
- Waiting for interim final rule details and implementation guidance from CMS and OSHA on federal vaccine mandates
- Impact of vaccine mandates on staff
IV. National Statements & Products (all posted on the Press Room page):
V. State Resources Rundown: State Association COVID Media Materials: A folder of helpful resources, sample op-eds, fact sheets, and more.
- Reconciliation Media Toolkit:
- Placed Op Eds: Add yours!