Grassroots Update: Fighting for Budget Alignment

Following the release of House and Senate supplemental budget proposals, WHCA has been heavily engaged in battling to secure full, comprehensive funding for both skilled nursing and assisted living.

The Legislature has not made this an easy road, placing full AL funding in the Senate proposal and full SNF funding in the House. This has meant a race to amend each version to align with our ultimate goal- and the promises made last year by the Legislature -to see our sector receive Medicaid rebases without cuts or freezes.

We want to thank everyone who has participated in this important work so far, especially those advocates who took time out of their busy schedules to testify before the House and Senate fiscal committees Monday night:

• • Mary Pierce (Evergreen)
  • Daniel Watt (Allied Residential Care)
  • Amy Seils (Cascadia Healthcare)
  • Nikki Storms (The Hampton)
  • Reggie Beltran (New Generation)
  • Shannon Nelson (Ensign Services)
  • Loupel Antiquiera (Ensign Services)
  • Zach Wester (Noble Healthcare)
  • Joe Rudd (Cascadia Healthcare)
  • Sam Mokashi (Avamere)
  • Kimberly Fuqua (Evergreen)
  • Brandon Nettlekiss (Caldera Care)
  • Anne Loucks (Caldera Care)
  • Zoee Brucell (PACS)

Without voices like these our advocacy efforts fall short every time. Thanks for all you do for your facilities, colleagues, residents, patients, and staff as we continue to battle tough budget decisions. Keep your eyes on your emails for notices and immediate calls to action from Aidan Swayne.