The release of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes report represents a significant accomplishment for the stakeholders involved in creating it and for the entities involved in bringing it to fruition. It was truly an honor to serve on this panel with such esteemed individuals. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a voice for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and to bring to light the many issues confronting them as they continue to work on the frontlines in a battle against COVID-19 and beyond.

Although I support this report, I have done so with reservations about the Workforce Ecosystem. Specifically, NAHCA supports government funded staffing requirements for CNAs in nursing homes. We recommend a ratio of one to 6 residents per CNA. We also support direct wage pass through for CNAs to move from a national average pay of $13.00 an hour to $16.00 with a pathway to $22.00 an hour. Nursing homes alone cannot fix this challenge. We support a robust national recruiting and certification campaign and the development of a one stop virtual career center for CNAs.

I am grateful for the attention workforce and more specifically the CNA profession received as part of this final report. I look forward to helping the Administration implement any and all recommendations made by the commission. However, our work is not complete, NAHCA will continue to fight for CNAs to ensure their voices are heard. In the coming weeks, we will release more news about our work as we move forward with efforts to improve conditions for CNAs.”