3 min read December 2022 — The Health Care Association of New Jersey is a nonprofit trade association representing long-term care providers and advocating for people in need. Invest: spoke with President and CEO Andrew Aronson about the challenges the association has faced going through and coming out of the pandemic, how it is overcoming labor shortages and how it hopes to forge partnerships across the state’s educational system.
What have been the highlights from the Health Care Association of New Jersey this year?
The pandemic has had huge effects on our long-term care residents. I’m happy to say that in 2022 our facilities have done a fantastic job. That is the biggest highlight of the year. Looking at the statistics, the number of people we were able to get vaccinated and the number of people we were able to help when they did get COVID is astonishing. Now, we are in a situation where people in long-term care facilities are some of the people who are best protected against COVID. Testing and monitoring are very high, the environment is very controlled and the newest treatments are offered to those who test positive. It has been a huge step forward and the long-term care sector has been a leader in that.
Are there any segments of long-term care where your team has seen a spike in demand?
Spikes happen over time, which is not the same as one would find in acute care. Our segment of the healthcare world develops over time. Twenty years ago, we were doing a lot more custodial, long-term care, but now much of that has moved into home and community-based services. Nursing homes are now providing more clinical care than they ever have before. There is a constant evolution where the needs of the population change, and we need to adapt to that. One of the changes we have seen is in family expectations as they seek more and more information. That really affects our providers, whether it just be internet searches or deeper research. I want to focus on giving consumers good information that they can process easily.
How does the association continue to be a value-add for its members through its use of information and technology?
As an association, we must be very focused on the quality of services provided. There is a lot of work being done in the long-term care arena to try and do a better job of measuring quality of services. I think the cutting edge of that lies in the real-time measurement that has been going on. Traditionally, people look at things like surveys and star-ratings but there is always a lag with those measures. We are now trying to focus on looking at data in real time and measuring quality in a much more current way to figure out exactly what is going on in buildings and act accordingly.
What challenge does longer life expectancy present to New Jersey and what policy changes are being considered to prepare long-term care?
You cannot have a strong healthcare system without a strong long-term care system. As baby boomers age and more and more retire, they want to stay in New Jersey throughout their retirement because that is where their family is. We need a healthcare system that works for them and accommodates their needs. We can’t do that without a strong long-term care system. It is something that we focus on every day when we talk to policy makers. One thing we must do is talk about funding all the time. There must be appropriate funding to have that system of care in place that gives our elderly population the care that they deserve. It’s not about saving money; it is about making the commitment to give them the care and services that they deserve, making New Jersey the place that they choose to live.
What have been some of the strategies long-term care providers have used to address the labor shortage?
We have been working very hard at developing coalitions and working with our educational community at all different levels, including high schools, community colleges, trade schools, four-year colleges and nursing schools. We want to try and work in tandem to let them know what we need and what opportunities exist for their students, helping them to develop an effective curriculum. A lot of this is through relationship building, coalitions and letting our educational partners know what jobs exist out there and how they can prepare their students to get into that market and do a great job. There is tremendous opportunity in long-term care. The population is growing, and this is an incredibly important sector of the healthcare continuum and there are great opportunities for young people to enter the field.
What are some coalitions or partnerships that have led to positive outcomes in long-term care?
The educational partnerships that we are developing to attract workforce into our sector are key. There are also partnerships that we develop all the time with other sectors of the healthcare continuum, working with our hospital partners as well as home and community-based providers. It all fits together. One thing that is coming out of New Jersey is a health information exchange, where providers are now sharing their data. This means that when a person enters the healthcare system and maybe goes from a hospital into a long-care health facility, some of their information will follow them. That type of sharing of information helps the continuation of care, improving it and making it more seamless. Those are the types of partnerships that benefit everybody, and we are continuing to work on them.
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