Paul Williams, vice president of government relations, Argentum, along with Mike Bivens, Brian Bivens, and Nicole Painter of Bivens & Associates, Argentum’s lobbying team in Tennessee, had a meeting this week with Tennessee State Rep. Greg Vital (R-Harrison) and Morning Pointe Senior Living Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Franklin Farrow.
The meeting took place at Morning Pointe Senior Living’s assisted living and memory care communities in Franklin, Tenn.
In addition to his service in the Tennessee House of Representatives, Vital is the co-founder and president of Morning Pointe Senior Living, which operates senior living communities in five states and is one of the largest senior living providers in Tennessee.
Among the issues discussed with the legislator was recent legislation that created a study to examine the impact of staffing agencies on assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Bivens and Associates was instrumental in ensuring assisted living was part of this legislation and we are awaiting results of a survey of providers conducted by the state related to this issue.
Ideas were also discussed on how the state can ensure staffing agencies are held accountable for services provided in senior and long-term care communities and how instances of price gouging and unsavory business practices -- such as employee poaching -- can be addressed.
Workforce development and the critical need for workers in senior living communities also made the agenda. Argentum provided information to Vital regarding its federal Health Apprenticeship Expansion (HAEP) grant through the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The grant will create opportunities for more than 7,000 caregivers and nurses to receive training and other support while yielding increased retention by up to 85 percent from average industry rates of 30 percent.
Argentum expressed an interest in developing or having access to similar workforce development programs in Tennessee that will be applicable to senior living workers.
Meeting participants also discussed the possibility of tapping Tennessee’s allotment of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for provider relief and/or workforce development initiatives. APRA funding should be prioritized to industries such as senior living who were most severely impacted by the COVID pandemic, the industry group said.
We greatly appreciate Rep. Vital and Franklin Farrow for hosting us at their communities and providing tours which included interacting with some of the great residents who call Morning Pointe of Franklin and The Lantern of Morning Pointe Franklin home.