MARTINSBURG, PA — In a bid to uplift the quality of long-term care across Pennsylvania, Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen recently toured The Village at Morrisons Cove, a skilled nursing facility in Martinsburg, Blair County. The visit was aimed at spotlighting the significant investments from the Health Department’s Long-Term Care Transformation Office (LTCTO) that are driving workforce development and enhancing facilities.
Dr. Bogen has spent the past year journeying throughout the Commonwealth, garnering insights from long-term care staff about the positive impact of the LTCTO funding. “The Shapiro Administration understands and supports the work being done by the LTCTO and has proposed $10 million in funding for the office in its 2024-2025 fiscal year budget to ensure residents of these facilities get the best care possible,” she said.
The Village at Morrisons Cove is utilizing this funding to upgrade visitation spaces, identify managers for key business-enhancing training, improve emergency preparedness, and bolster disease infection prevention measures. The facility’s investments, fueled by $193,400 in funding from the LTCTO, are part of the Quality Investment Pilot announced by the Department of Health (DOH) to supplement workforce development at long-term care facilities across the state. These innovations and upgrades are designed to enhance the quality of life for older Pennsylvanians.
Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich emphasized the importance of direct care workers in the state’s long-term services and supports. He spoke of the necessity to support these workers across the spectrum of direct care services, helping them develop a career path that sustains them and encourages professional growth. This aligns with the state’s 10-year plan for older adults, titled ‘Aging Our Way, PA’, which aims to improve wages, benefits, and training, and establish a career ladder for care workers.
In early 2023, the Health Department consolidated its older Pennsylvania care efforts into the LTCTO. This office provides guidance and assistance to a variety of care communities, including assisted living, intermediate care, skilled nursing, personal care homes, and state veterans homes. The LTCTO works with multiple state agencies and stakeholder organizations to understand industry challenges and implement positive changes. The focus is on creating resilience in the long-term care workforce, infection prevention and control, emergency preparedness, and sustainable outbreak response operations to ensure resident safety.
The LTCTO’s efforts to invest in the future of Pennsylvania’s long-term care workforce run parallel to ongoing workforce development initiatives by the Shapiro Administration. These include a $400 million investment in creating the Commonwealth Workforce Transformation Program, $2.6 million in awards for apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship opportunities, a $23.5 million investment in workforce training and vo-tech programs in the 2023-2024 state budget, and $3.5 million in funding for the School-to-Work program in the same budget.
Through these initiatives, the state of Pennsylvania aims to cultivate a strong and diverse workforce, equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide quality care to long-term care residents. This includes training programs for both current and future long-term care employees, as well as opportunities for career advancement and professional development.
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