ST. PAUL – Nursing homes in House District 11A have begun receiving shares of the $300 million infusion of state funding Rep. Jeff Dotseth, R-Silver Township, supported and the Legislature provided last May.
Interfaith Care Center in Carlton ($546,321), Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet ($401,727) and Moose Lake Village in Moose Lake ($514,189) received the first half of those funding totals earlier this month, with the second half due Aug. 1, 2024.
“This additional funding will be a big help for our local facilities that we count on so much to provide services for our loved ones,” Dotseth said. “Our nursing homes have been struggling and I’m happy we were able to deliver for them this session.”
Dotseth said the funding is a step toward stabilizing Minnesota’s struggling long-term care industry, with nursing homes closing across the state and others on the financial brink. Families are waiting months and looking up to four hours away to find a safe place for loved ones, he said, indicating a worker shortage has left around 25 percent of nursing home caregiver jobs vacant.
“Reports show more than 1.3 million Minnesota residents are 65 or older, meaning the need for long-term care is only expected to grow,” Dotseth said. “I was highly critical of the lack of funding for nursing homes the House majority included in its original budget proposal and am pleased we were able to successfully negotiate this larger appropriation that was worthy of bipartisan support. Anything less would have been an injustice to our seniors, especially with a state surplus of around $18 billion.”
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