Out of 124 nursing facilities in the state of Minnesota, 70% are limiting admissions due to not having enough staff to care for their residents, according to a survey from the Long-Term Care Imperative, a legislative collaborative between Care Providers of Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota.

That’s up from 41% in July.

Currently about 20% of shifts in long-term care settings in the state are vacant and can only be filled with overtime or temporary staff, and that gap is widening. In August, there were 1.5 times more resignations than hires, a rate that is not sustainable, according to the survey data.

LeadingAge Minnesota and Long-Term Care Imperative representatives met with state lawmakers to ask for funding to enhance caregiver wages in an effort to bolster retention and recruitment in long-term care in the state.

Looking ahead, the advocacy groups would like to see the state’s Medicaid reimbursement system modified in response to the evolving labor market demands.

They won’t be the only long-term care state groups to make that plea.

In Illinois, Medicaid reform has been proposed as a way to improve staffing for the long-term care sector and close the gap between costs and reimbursement.

Oklahoma-based Diakonos Group CEO and president Scott Pilgrim thinks the state will need a 20 to 25% Medicaid reimbursement in order to stabilize its caregiving workforce.