As key recruitment program halts, nursing assistant shortages in New Hampshire continue

Shot of an unrecognizable female nurse helping a senior man walk using his walking frame at a nursing home. (Via Getty Images)

By Mrinali Dhembla

August 21, 2024

New Hampshire Needs Caregivers, a key recruitment and training program for licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) has been on a hold since May.

The program—run through the Southern New Hampshire Area Health Education Center, helps LNAs get connected to employers and those interested in being nursing assistants navigate the career—is grant-funded through several sources, and ran out of most recent funding from federal pandemic aid in May.

New Hampshire is in a dire crisis of healthcare worker shortages, with a vacancy rate for both registered nurses and mental health workers around 30%, as per reporting from NHPR.

Senate Bill 403, which passed the Senate in March, was supposed to keep funding for the program running, but fell through along party lines towards the end. However, the program is waiting on getting money approved from the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery, which would help almost 500 people become LNAs.

So far, the program hired 219 people and has helped 177 people undergo training between June 2023 and May 2024. Most of the trainees have active licenses as LNAs now.

Author

Mrinali Dhembla

Based in Manchester, Mrinali Dhembla is Granite Post's multimedia reporter. She's previously worked as deputy editor at The Keene Sentinel, and has experience writing for many national and international publications. When not doing journalism, she likes to cook food (and eat it).

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CATEGORIES: HEALTHCARE

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