In New York, the rapidly aging baby boomer population is large, and the demand for home care is increasing due to cultural changes to aging rather than group facilities. However, recruiting home medical assistants to get a job is becoming more difficult.
Home care staffing agencies and disabled New Yorkers with state support to hire their aides have seen higher sales than in the past and are taking longer to fill vacant positions. I am reporting that there is. A state-wide 2018-2019 survey of home care agencies found that on average, one in six positions was not filled due to staff shortages. The problem was exacerbated during the pandemic, according to a report released by the New York Home Health Association in February.
It’s a big problem for those who rely on home care for their daily tasks such as bathing and eating.
“There are situations where workers don’t show up and people should stay in bed and not get out of bed because they need help,” said Heidi Siegfried, director of health policy at the New York Center for the Independence of Persons with Disabilities. I am. Said in an interview with Gotamist. “People who use home care really depend on their workers to lead an independent life.”
A coalition of state legislators, home health care workers and customer advocates will bring this issue to the fore during this year’s legislative session, raising the minimum wage for home health care workers to 150% of the existing minimum wage in each region. The bill is being promoted. In New York City, this means a starting wage of $ 22.50 per hour. That’s well above the $ 15 that many home care workers currently earn. Raising home care wages across the state costs an estimated $ 4 billion annually.
The bill, called Fair Payments in the Home Health Care Act, currently has sufficient sponsorship to be passed by the Legislature and the Senate. However, Governor Kathy Hokul does not lend her support.
She did not include funding for this measure in the executive budget announced in mid-January, but the focus of the Governor’s speech earlier that month was to address the shortage of health workers. rice field. The only fund she included in her home care worker was a one-time bonus of up to $ 3,000, which is paid only to employees who have been working for at least a year. Hochul has budgeted $ 1.2 billion in fiscal year 2023 for bonuses. It is also available to other types of frontline healthcare professionals.
In contrast, wage increases will guarantee long-term financial stability for home care workers. At a medical budget hearing in Albany on Tuesday, lawmakers burned state health officials on the issue.
