Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Low wages are the leading factor in a severe nationwide shortage of home health care and New York State lawmakers are vowing to take action this legislative session to address the issue.
Senator Tim Kennedy and Assembly members Monica Wallace and Pat Burke were surrounded by home health workers Thursday afternoon at 1199SEIU offices in Buffalo and pledged to work toward adoption of the Home Care Act.
With New York's 65+ population slated to grow 25% in the next 20 years, the workforce shortage is projected to increase exponentially and research has said that New Yorkers will need more than half a million home care workers by 2026. Additionally, research has found that recovering Covid patients fare far better in home care than nursing homes.
Fair Pay for Home Care would more than pay for itself through increased spending, job creation and moving home care workers off of programs such as Medicaid.
"This is something that should be done immediately," said Senator Kennedy in addressing home care workers. "We have the support, we want to get it over the finish line."
"We have people, in this moment, who are in our local hospitals because they can not be safely released to the community because there can not be aid service provided for them," said Todd Vaarwerk with WNY Independent Living. "There is no greater definition of the word 'essential' worker than these people."
Vaarwerk says low pay is the main problem in attracting and retaining quality home care workers and says there's more money to be made at places like McDonald's, Home Depot and Target. "Believe it or not, we pay less than those jobs we used to call minimum wage opening starter jobs."
The Fair Pay for Home Care Act is backed by NAACP, AARP, Democratic Majorities in the State Senate and Assembly, and has bipartisan support in both houses of the legislature.
