EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — The pandemic has been hard on all of us, especially for health care workers, who often put their own well-being aside to provide care to others.
The struggle has certainly been real for the health care industry, and in particular for long-term care.
Eyewitness News checked out a local facility that provides long-term care to find out more.
The activity at Allied Services’ Meade Street Residence is a virtual safari with the help of virtual reality headsets.
The actual reality for facilities like this one?
“Healthcare is hard,” said Brianna Hoban, the Assistant Vice President at Allied Services Integrated Health System.
Hard, but rewarding, according to Brianna Hoban, by providing quality care and happiness to residents, and maintaining a quality staff.
“That’s what I look for in everything that I do. I look for my person, my team and we come together and we do really good things,” Hoban explained.
Hiller says, “And the need for that dedication is not going away.”
Hoban noted, “No, it most definitely is not.”
Zach Shamberg, CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association says, “Long-term care continues to face challenges in Pennsylvania.”
Pennsylvania Health Care Association held a news conference Thursday morning outside Meade Street Residence.
The event called a Day of Caring, acknowledged long-term care industry challenges, and offered appreciation to the women and men who care for seniors and adults with disabilities.
“Our frontline caregivers must continue their mission of providing high-quality care every single day so that we can meet the growing need across the state,” Shamburg stated.
The crowd heard from lawmakers who steered $420 million in this year’s state budget to nursing home staffing, long-term living programs, and supplementary payments to personal care homes.
“My appreciation and respect for all of you that have to work every day with patients. That is not easy to do,” Democratic Representative of Pennsylvania’s 121 District, Eddie Day Pashinski, stated.
Not easy, but very much needed.
Allied Services says it’s met challenges by doing such things as increasing staff wages, providing additional bonuses, and updating and expanding building capacity.