The first 90 days and beyond: Ramping up retention in rural nursing homes

Some of the most effective workforce retention strategies aren’t necessarily “rocket science,” says Aimee Middleton, vice president of operations for Good Samaritan Society, the nation’s largest nonprofit nursing home provider. But they take an intentional approach and investment of time and resources to prove successful. Middleton was one of several providers who spoke with the National Investment Center’s Bill Kauffman on the “State of the Nursing Home Industry” during an educational session at the American Health Care Association’s 2023 Convention & Expo in Denver While the panel addressed such major topics as inflation, occupancy, reimbursement and managed care, Middleton remains hyper-focused on workforce and the way a lack of nursing staff threatens access in many of the rural communities that Good Sam serves. In this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, Middleton highlights strategies, such as a new mentorship program, with which Good Sam has had recent success. The first 90 days are proving critical, from the frontlines to building leadership. “They have a really intentional effort on workforce,” she says. “And in both our rural and urban facilities, we’ve seen great success with it. And it’s not like the ideas are rocket science, but it’s just having that intentional effort on it and really walking alongside our leaders.” Hear how much the new Good Sam approach has improved retention and what other benefits are revealing themselves, as well as why Middleton says reimbursement will remain a critical concern as organizations like her keep the focus on staffing. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.