FHCA Statement on Governor DeSantis’ Proposed Funding for Florida Nursing Centers in 2024 Budget

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Governor DeSantis recommended a one percent increase to Florida’s nursing centers and their residents in his FY 2024-2025 Focus on Florida's Future Budget.

“We want to thank Governor DeSantis for recognizing the challenges in our state's nursing centers, which continue to be faced with the question of ‘who will care’ for Florida’s aging population as more and more seniors move to our great state each day,” said FHCA Chief Executive Officer Emmett Reed.

Despite a continued increase in wages by nearly 20% for all nursing positions over the past three years, the long term care sector still lags behind hospitals and other healthcare providers when it comes to rebuilding the workforce. Additionally, in the past 10 years, the number of individuals testing to become a certified nursing assistant in Florida has been reduced by half. 

Reed continued, “The Governor's recommended increase is a good first step to help Florida's nursing centers with building a pipeline of caregivers who will be there for our state's seniors. As the Legislature continues their conversations around strengthening Florida's healthcare workforce, we look forward to lawmakers recognizing the same need for investments. This will help strengthen the long term care workforce to ensure that Florida remains the gold standard of delivering high-quality care, both today and into the future.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
 December 5, 2023

PRESS CONTACT:
Kristen Knapp, APR
850-510-4389 or kknapp@fhca.org