January 14, 2021 Washington, DC—Statement from Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services, including nursing homes, on President Elect Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan: 

“For the past ten months, LeadingAge has been calling for a coordinated federal response to help aging services providers fight COVID-19, and keep older adults and their care workers safe. Without that, they’ve been using grit and dedication to navigate solutions for personal protective equipment, testing and funding to cover extraordinary pandemic-related expenses.

It’s heartening to hear that the new Administration acknowledges the severity of the pandemic and is focused on a national approach to the next phase of relief. Because even as vaccines are making their way to long-term care residents and staff, the reality is that this crisis is not over.

Experience with this pandemic has taught us that the devil is in the details. We look forward to hearing the specifics of how the plan announced tonight will be implemented, but appreciate that it proposes investing real money into solutions. Only if these plans provide relief without creating new burdens, will the incoming Administration effectively protect lives.

We look forward to working with the new Administration to quickly move toward enacting a plan to make our country a better place for millions of Americans to grow old.”

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and 38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership encompasses the entire continuum of aging and disability services. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.