New York State Senator Rachel May, who is also the Chair of the Committee on Aging, visited Loretto to learn how our organization is currently operating, what challenges we are facing, and what ideas and opportunities we believe exist for our industry.

In a town hall setting on March 1, 2019, a room full of Loretto leaders, employees and residents shared their experiences and insights, and asked questions of Senator May. The Senator had plenty of her own questions, too, as she sought to truly understand what the troops on the frontline of long-term care really need.

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing a large cut to Medicaid funding that “together with the loss of federal Medicaid matching funds, would reduce total support for New York hospitals and nursing homes by more than $1 billion.”

There are myriad factors affecting health care right now – including the economy and political environment, workforce shortages, changing consumer demographics and preferences, data and technology.

I also shared our organization’s new Strategic Plan, which includes evolving our employee experiences, patient experiences, operational processes, community-based care and partnerships to meet current and future demands.

We reminded Senator May that our mission is to be a family of exceptional people caring for and about each other. And Loretto is active in working to ensure Medicaid funding is available to help as many of our residents as possible get the care they need, regardless of their personal income and assets.