Thanks to matching funds from its partners, the initiative is expected to train and equip over 600 frontline workers over three years

Today, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced a $2 million grant to the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) to help rebuild the under-resourced nursing home workforce by bolstering provider and community-based training programs in partnership with nursing homes and the SEIU-PA located in Pennsylvania’s Appalachian counties. This investment will be matched by partners in the project, ultimately resulting in a $5 million investment that will train and upskill hundreds of frontline nursing home workers by 2027.

The nursing home industry faces an unprecedented staffing crisis, closure of care facilities, and reduction in access to care for vulnerable older adults, and this unprecedented and long-overdue investment into the long-term care workforce will help to begin to address these issues. Particularly in Appalachian communities that have lost many jobs over the decades and have a remaining population that includes many aging adults with chronic conditions, investment in creative models can provide jobs to help retain the working age population in those communities.

JHF’s work will focus on supporting current and future Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA) – the heart of the nursing home workforce – by reducing their barriers to securing employment and supporting their career pathways to upskill and enter higher-paying jobs.

“During our three decades of working with nursing homes throughout Pennsylvania, we have never seen such high levels of staffing vacancies and nursing home closures,” said Karen Wolk Feinstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. “The industry was hit incredibly hard during the COVID pandemic, and it has yet to bounce back. This investment will help to ensure the long-term workforce is supported and equipped to provide care to the older adults of our region.”

The funding supports marketing, training, and wraparound costs for over 150 new CNAs per year and upskilling costs for 40 current CNAs per year for three years, with over 600 trainees and workers served by the end of the grant. JHF will work with multiple skilled nursing facilities in Pennsylvania’s ARC region – including Presbyterian SeniorCare Network in Allegheny, Erie, and Washington County; UPMC Canterbury in Allegheny County; UPMC Cranberry in Butler County; and Centre Care in Center County – and the SEIU PA Training and Education Fund to support the development of this much-needed training, upskilling, and frontline jobs to address the workforce shortages being faced by this sector.

"The ongoing healthcare workforce crisis is particularly critical in long-term care, where retaining experienced, dedicated caregivers is a crucial issue. That’s why training is an essential tool for long-term care employees who want to retain highly skilled staff in demanding, essential frontline roles,” said Lisa Williams, Executive Director of the SEIU Healthcare PA Training & Education Fund. “Our skills enhancement programs are a proven means of staff retention. They provide caregivers with opportunities to advance in their careers and boost confidence in their abilities. When caregivers are given access to valuable training, they feel empowered and better equipped to deliver the highest quality of care."

By strengthening the recruitment, training, and credentialing process, this project will improve job retention for new workers and provide meaningful work and career pathways for existing workers in high-demand jobs for those counties. ARC funding will support individual workers’ training and related wraparound costs, thus reducing barriers to entry to jobs, and supporting career pathways that enable workers to upskill and enter higher-paying jobs.

“The need to develop, train, and engage the CNA workforce is critical to provide essential, person-centered, quality care for the older adults we serve,” said Taylor McMahon, RN, Director of Nursing at The Willows Presbyterian Senior Care Network. “This funding will be extremely helpful to continue our CNA training classes, which will create a pipeline of compassionate, competent caregivers for the fast-growing geriatric population for years to come. We are grateful for the opportunity to expand the workforce of front-line caregivers.”

JHF has been active in promoting best practice strategies to improve care for older adults, including vulnerable and frail residents of skilled nursing facilities. JHF currently manages many statewide efforts that support the workforce serving both community-dwelling older adults and those residing in nursing homes, and this project will build on many pre-existing partnerships and collaborations.

“This initiative will serve as a model for future efforts to address critical health workforce shortages by demonstrating the need to address the substantial entry costs to become certified/licensed, immediately connecting them with their potential employers, and eliminating many of the barriers that keep PA residents from obtaining the training and credentials needed to begin a career path in long-term care,” said Ann Torregrossa, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Health Funders Collaborative.

This award from ARC is part of a recently announced $68.2 million award package supporting 65 projects in 188 coal-impacted counties through ARC’s POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative, which directs federal resources to economic diversification projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries.

“ARC’s POWER initiative supports coal-impacted communities' preparation for the next phase of Appalachia’s economy, while ensuring that residents have a say in the course of their own futures,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “The investments announced in this round of POWER will help train workers, advance new industries, and build upon the progress already being made toward a brighter future full of economic opportunity for our region.”

About the Jewish Healthcare Foundation

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and its three operating arms — the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative (PRHI), Health Careers Futures (HCF), and the Women's Health Activist Movement Global (WHAMglobal) — offer a unique brand of activist philanthropy to advance healthcare innovation, advocacy, collaboration, and education in the interest of better population health. The Foundation has served as a leader in advocating for quality long-term care; developing, training, and sharing resources; and promoting careers in long-term care for over thirty years. JHF is respected in the state and nationally for its ongoing and effective efforts to improve workforce training and quality of care for older adults receiving services through the long-term care delivery system. For more information, visit jhf.org.

About the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development partnership entity of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia.

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