Amid ARPA review, Rhode Island lawmakers hear appeals from social service agencies

(The Center Square) – They might serve disparate groups of people and have wide ranging missions, but the appeal from one Rhode Island human service agency to the next was nearly identical: Needs are abundant, and time is of the essence.

The Rhode Island Senate’s Committee on Finance recently held its third and final thematic hearing, exploring potential appropriations for the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

“It has been a very busy two months for this committee,” said state Sen. Ryan Pearson, D-Cumberland, who serves as chair. “We’re happy to have this holistic approach.”

Previous hearings focused on such issues as education. In the final hearing, held Nov. 22, lawmakers heard from a range of people associated with such fields as behavioral health, mental health and child care.

Elder care – most predominantly, nursing homes – also were discussed at length during the hearing, given the impact that has taken place within the sector since COVID-19 first emerged in early 2020.

“Rhode Island’s nursing homes right now are in crisis mode,” John Gage, president and CEO of the Rhode Island Health Care Association, said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has a prolonged and disproportionate impact on nursing homes across the country.”

Within Rhode Island, Gage said nursing home facilities are grappling with a confluence of factors, including a historically high labor shortage and new state mandates that will begin phasing in next year.

“The numbers are devastating,” Gage said of the labor situation within Rhode Island’s 81 licensed nursing homes. “I’ve never seen it this bad.”

At present, Gage said there are about 1,920 open positions within the collective network of nursing homes, resulting in a vacancy rate of about 20%. Staff turnover, he said, has been in the ballpark of 50% since the pandemic.

Vaccine mandates, Gage said, have only exacerbated the labor challenge, with an estimated 300 to 400 workers leaving their jobs behind after declining compliance.

Legislation Gov. Dan McKee signed into law in May sets a new staffing threshold for nursing homes – 3.58 hours of resident care per day in 2022 and 3.81 hours of resident care per day in 2023.

“We have less workers than ever before, and we need more than we’ve had,” state Sen. Thomas Paolino, R-Lincoln, said as he gave his assessment of the dual circumstances at play.

Gage said the association he represents is making several asks of the state to help meet legislative requirements and tackle the groundswell of issues that have taken place for nearly two years. The list includes $50 million toward workforce stabilization and funds to recruit and train new employees.

A number of other social service agency representatives also spoke to the committee, including the Rhode Island Free Clinic, which is an agency that serves residents without traditional health insurance who are ineligible for other subsidized programs, such as SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

“We’ve been around 25 years,” said Philip Rizzuto, a board member and volunteer physician with RIFC. “We’d love to be around for 25 more.”

Marie Ghazal, CEO of the RIFC, said there has been a 250% increase in service demand across the state since the pandemic’s onset. ARPA funds, she said, would give the organization the tools to make upgrades to facilities and technology, among other improvements.

State Sen. James Seveney, D-Bristol, said he viewed the free clinic as a logical recipient of ARPA funding.

“When we look at recommendations to spend these funds, we want something that’s going to be sustainable, something that’s going to have a lasting effect,” Seveney said. “I do think we need to look at this proposal.”

While this was the final hearing, the committee will continue to deliberate on ARPA funding possibilities at future meetings.

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