Connecticut experiences home healthcare shortage
By SUSAN RAFF, ASHLEY RK SMITH
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CONNECTICUT, USA (WFSB) — Families with disabled children want to care for kids at home but there’s a shortage of nurses. They are urging the governor for help.
It’s time to make cookies with her younger sister and Amelia is excited.
Amelia was born 13 weeks early, she only weighed 1.5 pounds.
“She 100 % understands and can respond, she has a ‘yah’ and if it’s something she doesn’t like she has a face,” Amelia’s Stepmom, Coco Sellman, said. “She had a stroke shortly after she was born which caused cerebral palsy.”
She said caring for Amelia is challenging, finding help has is difficult.
While pandemic relief dollars went to nursing facilities, hospitals, and group homes, home health was left out.
The governor announced a 10% Medicaid increase for skilled nursing facilities and group homes, but home health was left out again.
“Imagine you have a 3-year-old, and you can’t bring him home from the hospital for 8 months – 16 months imagine that. This is what’s happening,” said Sellman. “Medicaid rates for this service are so lo, fewer agencies, only three care for children out of 75, no new patients.”
Other home health agencies have stopped providing continuous skilled nursing because rates are so low.
There has been some good news just in the past few weeks, Governor Lamont agreed to increase Medicaid rates so home health can hire more nurses for complex care, but there’s also a nursing shortage and the increase may not be enough.
The CT Association for Healthcare at Home represents home care and hospice.
Tracy Wodatch with the CT Association for Healthcare at Home said, “This shortage has now risen to crisis levels. Exacerbated by the pandemic and now the ramped up minimum wage requirements. We are not able to compete with other providers that offer far better salaries and benefits.”
Home care can save a lot of money, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. it costs about $9,000 a day for a disabled child to be cared for at a hospital or long-term care, while home health is about $1,000 a day.
Christine Schmidlin is one of two nurses taking care of Amelia. During the pandemic, the agency she works for lost 25% of its staff, they’ve had to turn families away.
“I will tell you the phone calls are heartbreaking when the families can’t get staffing,” Schmidlin said. “The parents have to bring their children back to the hospital, or parents have to quit their jobs.”
Children who are cared for at home, often do better. Amelia hasn’t been to the hospital for over two years and she seems happy.
She has the care she needs, while other families may have to wait.
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