Healthcare Heroes in Long-Term and Post-Acute Care

Jaunting Xu RN on GBMC Sub Acute Unit Jaunting is a team player. Always willing to take on any assignment without complaint, she is very passionate about the care she provides to her patients.  Jeffrey Alvarez GNA on GBMC Sub Acute Unit  Jeffrey works extremely hard to make sure each one of his patients feel that he is not only glad to see them, but is also always ready and willing to provide the best possible care during each shift.

Malick Daffeh Director of Nursing on GBMC Sub Acute Unit Malick is dedicated to his staff and patients. He handles the toughest situations with kindness and a positive attitude. Malick always goes above and beyond to get the job done correctly.  Norma Barpar Rehab Director on GBMC Sub Acute Unit Norma has such a kind and caring personality, which is reflected in the care she provides and the relationships that she forms with her patients and staff.

Veronica McDaniels LPN on GBMC Sub Acute Unit Veronica creates an extremely positive environment, where she is a strong advocate for her patients and brings care and comfort to all people she encounters.

More on the Current State of the Long-Term and Post-Acute Care Sector   We hope that you find these healthcare hero highlights to be inspiring. These real-life healthcare heroes, their teams, and their organizations certainly inspire us! Jaunting, Jeffrey, Malick, Norma, and Veronica remind us that behind every challenge and opportunity in our sector is a real person who is either providing or receiving quality care. As we have all seen, the pandemic has exacerbated issues that have long existed in healthcare. Long-term care Medicaid funding, workforce challenges, and issues of healthcare equity have always been high on our list of priorities and now it is of utmost importance that we find solutions to these challenges. While we have together made much progress, and the State has helped tremendously in our fight against COVID-19, today our skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers remain challenged due to historically high labor costs, skyrocketing operational expenses, low occupancy levels, a healthcare workforce crisis, and a Medicaid rate system that was not designed for such a prolonged crisis. Thanks to our healthcare heroes, like those here, who have continued to provide quality care to Marylanders in need throughout the pandemic, we have come a long way in our fight against COVID-19. Now, we are at a critical point as we shape healthcare policy going forward and create a new normal - hopefully where COVID-19 becomes an endemic. While there will continue to be challenges ahead, there will also be tremendous opportunities. We are committed to working together to ensure proper funding of quality long-term care and care across settings, to find innovative solutions to ongoing workforce challenges, and to promote health equity for all Marylanders. We appreciate the opportunity to bring these important issues to your attention and look forward to our work together on lasting and sustainable common-sense solutions driven by data. In the meantime, should you have any questions or like any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me at jdemattos@hfam.org or Hope Morris at hmorris@hfam.org.

Be well,

Joe DeMattos President & CEO

We are eternally grateful to Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates Adrienne Jones, as well as Cherie Taylor and Renee Harris of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington for recording this HFAM public service video to help encourage people living and working in skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers and on assisted living campuses to get vaccinated—and to get the booster!

Want to see previous HFAM updates? Visit our website to view all previous HFAM alerts, as well as guidance from our federal and state partners.

Health Facilities Association of Maryland WW.HFAM.ORG

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