Uncategorized Archives

Leadership Rooted in Lived Experience

August 26, 2024

BY: Alesia Frerichs and Renada Johnson

This month, the Lutheran Services in America team led the latest Lived Voices Fellowship convening in Washington, D.C., a cohort of 17 dynamic change leaders from across the network who are dedicating their careers to service in community. What sets this group of leaders apart is that they have navigated public systems and experienced poverty, substance abuse, housing insecurity and other challenges, and through their resilience, are committed to build on their experiences to drive positive change within their organizations and communities.

What is the Lived Voices Fellowship and who participates?

The fellowship offers these leaders an opportunity to make meaning of their own unique experiences, forge new connections, and hone skills that will empower them to effect meaningful change in their communities. The fellowship represents a departure from traditional leadership programs in that it is an exploration of resiliency, empowerment, and healing, with a focus on amplifying voices that have often been marginalized.

The roles of these change leaders across the network vary widely; some serve as counselors, program leads, brand ambassadors and community outreach specialists, while others lead operations or are in the C-suite. Through their work, they collectively support older adults, strengthen families and create pathways for employment and other services for new Americans. All are fueled by a commitment to make the world a better place.

What was the emphasis of the recent convening?

The convening was led by the expertise of our Lutheran Services in America staff and facilitators from Just Build Village Then, including a pivotal session with the Frameworks Institute.

“This fellowship changed my life forever! I’ve been to many trainings and conferences where the conversation has been about change in our systems and community, but very few focus on healing and change in ourselves,” said Jessica Strauch of the St. John’s United C.A.R.E.S Wraparound Program. “I had the opportunity to be in a space with other leaders with lived experience and together we had the opportunity to dig deep into what brought us to this work. I cried, reflected, and gave myself the opportunity and space to step into my story.”

What comes next?

As part of this fellowship, our fellows are currently engaging with professional mentors through the Lived Voices Fellowship Peer Mentoring Program. This key component is designed to foster meaningful connections between fellows and seasoned leaders within our network. Inspired by Marshall Ganz’s Public Narrative model, this journey includes shared self-discovery, collective identity formation, and actionable commitment. This mentorship phase will enable our fellows and senior leaders to identify collaborative opportunities for innovation and impact, driving positive transformation within Lutheran Services in America, our member organizations, and beyond.

Many thanks to Ascentria Care Alliance, Bethel New Life, Gemma Services, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest, the Evangelical Good Samaritan Society and others for joining us. This is the Lutheran Services in America network!

Alesia Frerichs is President & CEO of Lutheran Services in America. Renada Johnson is Senior Director of Children, Youth and Family Initiatives at Lutheran Services in America.

Election Watch: What’s at Stake in November that may Impact Health Legislation?

August 26, 2024

BY: Sarah Dobson and Tony Brozey

As we are tracking the November elections with an eye toward impact on the work of the Lutheran Services in America network, we will be highlighting key races of members on committees with jurisdiction over issues that matter to us. As you know, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee have jurisdiction over issues critical to our work. The HELP Committee plays a crucial role in shaping national policies related to healthcare and the workforce, while Energy and Commerce has broad jurisdiction over healthcare and the regulations and laws that govern the sector.

Senate HELP Committee

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), a senior member of the HELP Committee and chair of the Special Committee on Aging, is seeking re-election and is running against Republican Dave McCormick. Early projections and polls estimate that Casey is currently expected to beat his opponent, with some estimates giving Casey as much as a 10-percentage-point edge. Of course, Pennsylvania is a key battleground state in this year’s presidential election and so the race is expected to tighten. Lutheran Services in America and the Disability Network have worked extensively with Sen. Casey on legislation such as S. 100, the Better Care, Better Jobs Act; S. 762, the HCBS Access Act, and S. 4120, the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act. We will continue to watch this race.

House E&C Committee

House Energy & Commerce (E&C) chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) is not seeking re-election. Her successor as leader of the committee will be determined first by whether the Democrats or Republicans have the majority in the House, and then through internal party deliberations. As chair, Rep. McMorris Rodgers has championed legislation addressing the needs of people with disabilities and served as a speaker at LSA-DN meetings. We will be closely monitoring who becomes chair of this committee, given the scope of their work, and ensuring an ongoing relationship for our network.

To learn more about our work with these lawmakers, or their legislation, please reach out.

Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy.

Tony Brozey is a summer intern with the government affairs team at Lutheran Services in America.

Supporting Innovative Approaches to Expand Accessible Housing

August 23, 2024

BY: Sarah Dobson

As part of a broader effort to support innovative approaches to increasing housing availability and affordability, Lutheran Services in America has endorsed the “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) bill (S. 3910.)

This legislation was introduced in March by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio,) chair of the Senate Banking Committee (which has jurisdiction over housing issues). The bill aims to help faith-based institutions and churches use land they already own to ease the housing crisis in their communities. The legislation seeks to break down regulatory and zoning barriers for churches and other faith-based institutions to use existing unused land and property to develop housing.

Most recently, we included support for this bill as one of our policy priorities during visits with Congressional offices as part of our May Health & Housing Solutions Summit. As Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) is the senior-most Republican on the Senate Banking Committee, he will play a key role in whether the YIGBY provisions are included in any housing legislation passed before the end of current session of Congress. As such, we are now aligning efforts across our network to seek his support.

Contact me to learn more.

Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Lutheran Services in America.

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act: New Solutions for an Age-old Challenge

August 23, 2024

BY: Alesia Frerichs

We all know that workforce continues to be a challenge. There is no shortage of need: it’s the lack of—and competition for—workforce that limits access to care and services.

A variety of remedies are needed to address challenges across the workforce continuum of recruitment, retention, pipeline and readiness, including the impact of reimbursement rates. Today, Lutheran Services in America is engaging on the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act (HRSA) to address the nursing shortage.

How can we increase the number of qualified people in the workforce?

The impact of the nursing shortage is particularly acute for organizations that provide skilled nursing care. The recent ruling on the minimum staffing requirement for skilled nursing facilities did not address the key issue – the growing shortage of nurses in our country. In fact:

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 102 million Americans already live in a designated primary care Health Professional Shortage Area.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projectsmore than 275,000 additional nurses are needed by 2030.

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act – An opportunity to increase the pipeline

Introduced in November 2023, this bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Rep. Bradley Schneider (D-IL) and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Susan Collins (R-ME), would allow previously authorized green cards to be used for additional foreign-trained healthcare workers.
Recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for physicians that Congress has previously authorized, as well as recaptured visas for immediate family members;
Require employers to attest that international workers from overseas who receive these visas will not displace American workers; and
Require eligible international medical professionals to meet licensing requirements, pay filing fees, and clear rigorous national security and criminal background checks before they can receive recaptured green cards.

Why now and what’s next?

Over the summer we have seen growing bipartisan momentum on this bill. We are hearing that it is being considered for inclusion in one of the legislative packages before the end of this Congress.
We are amplifying our unique faith-based voice and joining 52 other national organizations including American Hospital Association (AHA), American Healthcare Association (AHCA), National Rural Healthcare Association (NRHA), Leading Age and other aligned national partners as part of the Healthcare Workforce Coalition.
As part of this joint effort, we are meeting with lawmakers, urging them to support this legislation. Our goal is for the bill to gain additional co-sponsors in the hopes of building momentum to ensure it is included in a larger legislative package that will be passed by Congress before the end of the year.
You can join us in reaching out to your lawmakers using our quick and easy advocacy alert tool.

Taking action together as one of the largest faith-based provider networks: we have the reach, we have the expertise and we have the responsibility.

Alesia Frerichs is President & CEO of Lutheran Services in America.

Join the Conversation on New HUD Funding

August 23, 2024

BY: Susan Newton

Housing affordability and availability remain critical challenges for Lutheran Services in America members and their communities. Lutheran Services in America understands the urgent need for solutions that truly make a difference. To help address this, we are hosting a conversation on September 5 to explore whether HUD’s new Continuum of Care (CoC) funding is the right opportunity for your organization.

HUD’s recent announcement of an unprecedented $3.5 billion investment in homeless services organizations—its largest-ever single-year commitment—provides a unique chance to secure competitive, streamlined funding for housing and supportive services. This is a pivotal opportunity to strengthen your homelessness response efforts.

Don’t miss this chance to learn more and discuss how your organization can benefit from this funding. Together with Lutheran Services in America members who receive CoC funding and other national partners, we’ll explore how to maximize this resource to better serve our communities.

Contact me for more details. We look forward to your participation in this vital discussion!

Susan Newton is Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at Lutheran Services in America.

Disability Network Convenes in Minnesota

August 23, 2024

BY: Bill Kallestad

The Lutheran Services in America Disability Network (LSA-DN) met in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in late July, bringing together nearly 40 attendees representing 16 network organizations. The meeting was hosted in conjunction with Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, ACCORD and AbleLight. An emphasis of the meeting was to inform implementation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recent rule changes in long-term services and supports (LTSS) with an emphasis on home- and community-based services (HCBS). As such, the group was joined by Curtis Cunningham, director of LTSS at CMS. Curtis shared current priorities from CMS as they work through state guidance to support recent rule changes. He also provided timing updates and took questions from members to share further insights.

Another key priority of LSA-DN is improving the use of data analytics to guide and inform changes in practice with the shift to value-based care. As such, staff from Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota shared insights and perspectives on their recent changes to improve their use of data. Survey results were also shared more broadly about LSA-DN data use and presented for discussion. Other topics included partnership development and continuing to build out the LSA-DN strategy across advocacy, culture and innovation.

Contact me for more information.

Bill Kallestad is the Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the Lutheran Services in America Disability Network.

Forging Connections at Grantmakers in Health 2024 Conference

June 25, 2024

BY: LSA Staff

As part of our work to strengthen relationships with community-based and national health funders, Susan Newton, senior director of strategic initiatives at Lutheran Services in America, attended the Grantmakers in Health 2024 Conference in Portland, Oregon. She joined timely and relevant discussions aimed at improving public health and equitable healthcare outcomes across the nation.

It was an opportunity to highlight innovative efforts happening across our member network ranging from successful initiatives in fostering whole-person care to robust community engagement approaches and leadership in developing and advancing housing solutions. As an example, as part of a rural health discussion, the work of our Rural Aging Action Network was highlighted, focusing on how members are leveraging social determinants of health assessments to uncover previously undetected needs.

Ensuring the work of our members is included in key conversations as the future of funding is considered a top priority for our organization. We hope to continue to take advantage of these opportunities on an on-going basis. For more information, contact Susan Newton at Snewton@lutheranservices.org.

The Fight Continues on CMS’s Skilled Nursing Facilities Minimum Staffing Rule

June 26, 2024

BY: Alesia Frerichs

In April, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the minimum staffing mandate for skilled nursing facilities. Our press release in response to the final rule outlined our concerns and recommended solutions. As your national advocacy presence in Washington, D.C., we continue to work with and for you in response to this rule.

Our strategy is clear:

Our faith-based, community-centered, trusted, non-profit providers consistently deliver high quality care as measured by star ratings and clinical outcomes.
The final rule ignores our high-quality standards amidst the dual challenges of chronic Medicaid underfunding and rising labor costs.
The rule impedes access to quality care and choice for older adults and other Medicaid recipients as facilities are forced to close.
It is imperative to advance solutions to expand access to care and strengthen the workforce.

Read What Has Been Done to Date

So, what’s next? Our commitment is to strenuously pursue all financial and programmatic remedies to alleviate the burdens associated with the implementation of this final rule.

We will continue to work with staff at CMS to monitor and inform guidance to states as this rule is implemented to ensure our network providers can inform and understand the process for exemptions and delays that are part of the final rule.

We are monitoring continuing congressional action aimed at stopping the implementation of the rule using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). This process allows Congress to pass legislation disapproving of federal agency rules and immediately prohibiting their implementation. Lawmakers from the House and Senate including Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV), Sen. Angus King (I-ME), Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) are currently working to secure passage of CRA legislation to halt the minimum staffing rule. While only a simple majority is needed to initially pass the legislation, a two-thirds majority of each chamber would be required to override an expected Presidential veto.

We are continuing our active engagement with the Administration to hold them accountable for their expressed commitment to provide additional support for providers related to workforce recruitment, retention, and training: the final rule set aside $75 million for these purposes. For example, we in order to connect our members to these resources.

We are also exploring how best to support the lawsuit that the American Health Care Association (AHCA) recently filed against CMS. The lawsuit asks the court to set aside the new staffing rule, which may delay or even stop implementation.

To ensure adequate reimbursement for critical staff, we are building an approach with CMS to develop a national Medicaid reimbursement strategy that would include specific recommendations/guidance to states in setting their Medicaid rates to ensure providers can pay livable wages. Our overarching aim is to pursue increases in Medicaid reimbursement sufficient to cover the actual cost of providing skilled nursing care and paying a livable wage.

We are also working to strengthen a broader workforce advocacy strategy, including active legislation, to pursue Congressional support across the workforce continuum, with a focus on recruitment, retention, strengthening the workforce pipeline, and training.

Related to older adults, we will advocate for greater flexibility for SNFs to provide onsite training for new hires and existing employees, especially CNAs, including addressing CNA training capabilities for SNFs who have received survey penalties
Loan forgiveness, tax credits, and other incentives, building on existing channels to address these issues beyond doctors and registered nurses
Updates to immigration and refugee policies that would increase availability of workforce with a focus on supporting a waiver process to ensure people trained abroad can practice to the full scope of their licenses.
- Easing the pathway for people entering the country to secure work visas.
- Allowing the granting of special visas to fill CNA vacancies.
- Ensuring previously authorized green cards can be used the strengthen the pipeline of healthcare workers.

We are committed to continuing to work in partnership with organizations like the American Health Care Association (AHCA,) LeadingAge, and others, to elevate the very real impacts the minimum staffing rule has on providers and communities across the country.

What can you do now?

If you haven’t already, please reach out to your state Medicaid leaders to share your concerns as this rule is being implemented. This is a good time to raise your voice as CMS is drafting guidance to states to implement the rule.

Please share your own stories of the impact of the workforce shortage on access to care in your communities, as well as coverage from your local news outlets so we can stay up to date on the way the story is being told across the country, with us by contacting Sarah Dobson.

Alesia Frerichs is the President & CEO of Lutheran Services in America.

Opposing the CMS Minimum Staffing Rule: What Has Been Done to Date?

June 24, 2024

BY: Sarah Dobson

In April, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the minimum staffing mandate for skilled nursing facilities. From the start, we engaged our members from across the country to raise our voice and the visibility of the impact of this ruling with the administration and other key policy makers including:

Conducting targeted stakeholder meetings, secured based on the breadth and impact of our network in the senior services space and existing advocacy relationships, including with:
- CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and her staff, to ensure our members concerns were heard specific to the proposed rule.
- Key senators and their staff who lead or serve on committees with oversight of Medicaid issues to share our on-going concerns including Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP); and Senate Finance Committee, House Energy and Commerce, House Ways and Means, among others.
- The White House Domestic Policy Council, which advises the President on domestic policy issues. And
- the Office of Management and Budget during final rulemaking to share our concerns.
Activating our network in a letter-writing campaigns to Congress and CMS with over 200 messages sent to key policymakers from across the country.
Submitting comments on the proposed rule to ensure the challenges associated with implementation were clearly articulated.

Our collective advocacy had an impact in shaping the final rule—with longer phase-in periods in rural and underserved communities, and hardship exemptions. At the same time, these small wins are wholly insufficient given the inadequacy of Medicaid reimbursement rates and the ongoing crisis in the direct care workforce. This rule will accelerate nursing home closures in underserved and rural communities and make it harder to provide quality access to care for older adults across the country.

Read Our Strategy to Build on our Work Opposing This Rule

United, we will continue to take action together as one of the largest faith-based provider networks; we have the reach, we have the expertise and we have the responsibility.

Sarah Dobson is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Lutheran Services in America.

Category: Uncategorized

Leadership Rooted in Lived Experience

Election Watch: What’s at Stake in November that may Impact Health Legislation?

Supporting Innovative Approaches to Expand Accessible Housing

The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act: New Solutions for an Age-old Challenge

Join the Conversation on New HUD Funding

Disability Network Convenes in Minnesota

Forging Connections at Grantmakers in Health 2024 Conference

The Fight Continues on CMS’s Skilled Nursing Facilities Minimum Staffing Rule

Opposing the CMS Minimum Staffing Rule: What Has Been Done to Date?

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