The Ohio Legislature sent Gov. Mike DeWine (R) a bill Thursday afternoon that sets aside $300 million of more than $4 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding toward the state’s nursing homes.
The legislation will invest $4.2 billion in federal American Rescue Plan dollars into schools, healthcare industry, first responders and law enforcement; $1.89 billion has been allocated for health and human services funding.
The bill, sponsored by State Reps. Al Cutrona (R) and D.J. Swearingen (R), comes with some strings attached, according to LeadingAge Ohio. The funds can be spent exclusively on compensation, staff retention bonuses, overtime pay and shift differential payments, staff recruitment costs and new hire incentives. Not a penny can go toward contract workers, staffing agency workers, facility administrators, facility executive staff or facility owners.
“These funds will help address the major workforce issues our healthcare industry has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Curtona stated.
The money comes from federal funds allocated to Ohio and must be distributed by year’s end. In addition to the $300 million going to nursing homes, the bill provides $23 million to hospice services and $33 million to assisted living facilities, which have also experienced staff challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Overall, we feel pretty happy to see this move forward, particularly by year’s end,” Susan Wallace of LeadingAge Ohio said.
