Oregon long-term care providers could be the envy of their peers soon when it comes to pay raises. Operators there are hoping to nab a 10% pay hike after a budget proposal by the state’s top executive last week.
Gov. Kate Brown (D) is asking lawmakers for $17.2 million to boost reimbursement to nursing homes, memory care and other facilities, the Oregonian reported. That would include two annual raises of 5% next year and in 2020, according to the governor’s press secretary.
The proposed pay hikes come after an Oregonian investigation earlier this year, which found “rampant problems” of resident abuse and inadequate staffing at the state’s memory care facilities.
Long-term care advocates have supported Brown in her re-election campaign and are now working with the Oregon leader on ways to increases taxes to support the industry, the newspaper noted.
The Oregon Health Care Association declined to comment on specifics of the budget proposal because it is still only preliminary. “We applaud the governor’s actions to address critical workforce needs in the sector,” said spokeswoman Rosie Ward.
