ST. PAUL – Nursing homes in House District 29A have begun receiving shares of the $300 million infusion in state funding Rep. Joe McDonald, R-Delano, supported and the Legislature provided last May.
Annandale Care Center ($405,743), The Estates at Delano ($425,826), and the Good Samaritan Society in Howard Lake ($353,528) received the first half of those funding totals earlier this month, with the remaining portions due Aug. 1, 2024.
McDonald said he is pleased House Republicans successfully negotiated increased funding for nursing homes after Gov. Tim Walz and House Democrats dedicated just $3.9 million to new nursing home funding in their original budget proposals for the new biennium.
“Budgets reflect priorities, which would have made it a disgrace to underfund our seniors in the face of a nearly $18 billion state surplus,” McDonald said. “It’s good that, in the end, we put politics aside and did the right thing by providing more funding to support our highly appreciated long-term care workers and seniors who deserve quality care.”
McDonald said the funding is a step toward stabilizing Minnesota’s struggling long-term care industry, with nursing homes closing across the state and others on the financial brink. Families are waiting months and looking up to four hours away to find a safe place for loved ones, he said, indicating a worker shortage has left around 25 percent of nursing home caregiver jobs vacant.
“This funding should be a big help for nursing homes in our area and throughout Minnesota that have been struggling and I’m happy we were able to deliver,” McDonald said. “That said, our aging population is going to put long-term care services in even higher demand in the future so we need to continue working on sustainable solutions for the long haul.”
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