Each year, thousands of Marylanders who are aging or have disabilities receive health care through a family member’s help, in nursing homes, or from at-home patient visits. But a coalition of health organizations believe that those types of health care workers are often not paid adequately for their service.
Caring Across Maryland, the coalition which includes health care worker union 1199 SEIU, has announced its support for bills in the 2024 legislative session aimed to support home care, nursing home workers and family caregivers.
“Home care workers are leaving the field for jobs with higher pay and better benefits. At the same time, Maryland’s population is aging; the number of individuals over the age of 85 in the state will increase by 40% by the year 2030,” according to a Wednesday news release from the coalition. “Caring Across Maryland aims to address the staffing crisis in the state’s nursing homes, improve job quality and financial transparency in the long-term care industry, and prevent private equity firms from degrading quality of care.”