By Michael E. McRae, president & CEO, St. Ann’s Community.
Recently, while attending a service in St. Ann’s Parkes Chapel, I found myself reflecting on the words inscribed in a beautiful mosaic on the altar that reads, “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened.” These words were originally spoken as an invitation to find comfort, rest, and compassion in a time of need. Today, they carry a renewed urgency as we face one of the most significant challenges in the history of senior care, which is inadequate Medicaid reimbursement for nursing homes.
For decades, nursing homes have been the safety net for our most vulnerable seniors. These are the people who have spent their lives working, raising families, contributing to their communities, and paying taxes. Yet when the time comes that they need the very care they’ve helped build – Medicaid – the primary payer for long-term nursing home care, does not cover the true cost of providing it.
At St. Ann’s Community and at nursing homes across New York State, this shortfall is not measured in minor budget adjustments. It’s millions of dollars every year. These are resources that could otherwise support staff wages, expand programs, invest in improvements, and provide the high-quality, dignified care every senior deserves. Instead, providers are left to do more with less, stretching every dollar while the gap between cost and reimbursement grows wider. We have recently seen the consequences of the financially dire environment we have today with the closure of several Rochester area assisted living communities.
If nothing changes, there will be fewer nursing home beds available. Waiting lists will grow longer. Families will struggle to find care for loved ones. Seniors may be forced to move far from their home communities and away from the familiar neighborhoods, faith centers, and loved ones that give them comfort and joy.
The words in our Chapel are not simply a reminder of faith; they are a call to action. Our seniors, many of whom now labor under the burden of illness, frailty, and financial uncertainty, need us to stand with them. They need elected leaders to make Medicaid reimbursement fair and adequate, so that nursing homes can remain strong for generations to come.
At St. Ann’s Community, our mission is rooted in compassion and service. We will continue to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves and to care for every resident with dignity and respect. But we cannot do it alone. We invite our community of neighbors, advocates, families, and friends to join us in urging lawmakers to make seniors a priority.
Because when we lift the burdens of our elders, we honor not only their past contributions but also the values that bind us as a community.