Nursing Home Staff Shortage Among Reasons for Nationwide Closings

Nursing homes across the United States are closing as they struggle to find environmental services (EVS) and health care staff, USA Today reports.

More than 300 nursing homes have closed or are winding down operations since 2020, according to a data analysis by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, a group that represents for-profit nursing homes. Public health experts warn more are at risk of closing due to an inadequate system to pay for elder care, a relentless workforce shortage, and the lingering effects of the pandemic. 

Nursing homes have struggled to attract workers even before the pandemic due to decades of underfunding and a lack of accountability on how those funds are spent. The resulting low staff salaries and benefits have made nursing homes a “highly undesirable place of employment,” according to a report released earlier this month by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Staffing problems got worse during the pandemic when potential nursing home workers became more selective about taking new jobs. Many of those already working in nursing homes quit staff positions to take higher-paying positions with staffing agencies.

“There’s going to be a hollowing out of nursing homes,” said Vincent Mor, a Brown University School of Public Health professor. “The issue of facilities closing is going to be a real factor. They’ll close particularly in rural areas, and they’ll close particularly in communities that mostly serve poor people.”