Gov. Walz Touts $173 Million in New Funds for Minnesota Nursing Homes
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders visited a nursing home to celebrate a bipartisan funding package.
The legislature approved a $173 million funding package for nursing homes across the state.
“I’m really proud that this group came together, reached some compromises,” Walz said. “The checks aren’t just in the mail, he said the checks are in the bank now.”
Legislative leaders met at Park River Estates in Coon Rapids on Tuesday. The facility received around $300,000 through the bill.
“This was direct payments to the nursing homes,” Walz said. “Overall, there was about a billion dollars put towards this industry, put towards the education board.”
Gov. Tim Walz speaks on a $173 million funding package for nursing homes on Aug. 8.
Help for the Nursing Home Workforce
A representative of Park River Estates said he hopes to use the funds to pay off debt, maintain the facility and retain or recruit employees.
“We also did hear that we have a workforce crunch and some money could help us with that and so it’ll be interesting to see how the industry uses this workforce incentive grant that was a part of the program,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park.
Many nursing homes are still reeling from inflation and the loss of staff members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding was a sticking point for the legislature during the last session.
“Sometimes the things we agree on most become the most difficult,” Walz said. “There was little doubt that we were going to leave without this being done. But it started to get wrapped into the bonding bill a little bit, which, that one was somewhat in doubt.”
Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, called the meeting a “moment to celebrate.”
Hortman said that the bill passed unanimously in both the Minnesota House and Senate.
“At the end of the day, the better angels won out,” Walz added.
