LINCOLN- The American Health Care Association reports that Nebraska's long-term health care industry is still years away from reaching pre-pandemic workforce levels.

This report coincided with Gov. Ricketts' extension of an executive order to help sustain the healthcare industry while it rebuilds.

Jalene Carpenter, president of the Nebraska Health Care Association, said, "The staff shortage has been incredibly exacerbated by the pandemic. We are still continuing to have a really big crisis when it comes to your workforce."

Carpenter went on to state just how important Gov. Ricketts' extension was, and believes it will act as a catalyst for the rebuilding of the healthcare workforce.

The executive order, which allows recently retired healthcare workers to get credentialed and defers some continuing education requirements, was also praised by Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association. "These individuals are well qualified, many of them have spent their career in healthcare," said Nordquist.

Long-term care facilities are feeling the worst sting from this workforce shortage. Because of a lack of staffed beds, hospitals are unable to discharge patients to these facilities, straining the hospital workforce even more.

"When you think about it from a workforce challenge perspective, it really comes down to the number of people we can serve," said Carpenter.

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