For six weeks, LeadingAge has continued to engage Congress and the Administration with various activity and meetings as part of the Aging Services Workforce Now advocacy campaign. Thanks to the collaboration of many dedicated members and other supporting advocates, we have the following campaign highlights to date to share:
- During the July 27 Day of Action, more than 1,600 people took action and sent messages to their legislators urging immediate action for the aging services workforce.
- The OpEd template LeadingAge provided to state partners delivered on supporting the Aging Services Workforce Now campaign, as seen by the impactful opinion article by Jason Cronk, president and CEO of Immanuel Lutheran Communities in Montana, as well as an opinion article by Melissa Andrews, president and CEO of LeadingAge Virginia.
- More than 30 state partners have scheduled Congressional meetings in August to discuss the impact of severe workforce shortages and the lack of federal support on their communities.
- The LeadingAge Congressional Virtual Briefing: Addressing the Workforce Crisis in Aging Services on July 20 was opened by Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH), co-chair of the newly formed bipartisan House 21st Century Long-Term Care Caucus. The briefing brought together Senate and House congressional staffers to hear about policy opportunities that would meet the needs of older Americans in the face of persistent and severe workforce shortage for aging services providers.
The Aging Services Workforce Now advocacy campaign will continue into October. LeadingAge is fortunate to have incredible members working alongside our team to raise their voices and take action on behalf of our aging services workforce. Thank you! Please continue reaching out to your legislators and local media, and sharing posts from the social media toolkit.
Colleagues on the Move, March 27, 2024
