By HFT Staff

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) released the “State of the Nursing Home Sector" report, a data-backed snapshot of the industry's most critical issues. The nursing home industry is calling on federal policymakers to prioritize seniors to prevent worsening a growing access to care crisis as nursing homes struggle to find workers and keep their doors open. 

Highlights from the report include: 

COVID-19 

• More than 50 percent of residents are up to date on their vaccines, which is three times higher than the general population. 
• Nursing homes are seeing the longest running streak of historically low resident mortality rates due to COVID-19 – fewer than 0.5 per 1,000 residents since February 13, 2022. 

Historic Labor Shortage 

• Nursing homes experienced the worst job loss of any healthcare sector during the pandemic, with 210,000 jobs lost from February 2020 to December 2022.  
• Workforce levels are the lowest they've been since 1994.  
• At the current pace of modest job growth, nursing homes would not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027.  
• 84 percent of nursing homes are currently facing moderate to high levels of staffing shortages. 

On the Financial Brink 

• 55 percent of nursing home providers say they are operating at a loss.  
• 52 percent may not be able to continue operating for more than a year at the current pace. 

Access to Care Crisis 

• 54 percent of nursing home providers say they are having to limit new admissions due to staffing shortages. 
• 465 nursing homes have closed over the course of the pandemic, displacing 18,071 residents.