Key state health policy leaders spoke to 175 attendees at this week’s Legislative Conference.

• Attendees heard from a cabinet secretary, five agency directors who thanked members for working with the state to provide needed care to vulnerable Virginians as part of the annual event held during the General Assembly session.

VHCA-VCAL President and CEO Keith Hare and Chair Karen Stanfield present Del. Sickles with the 2024 Legislative Champion award.

VHCA-VCAL honored Del. Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax) as the association’s 2024 Legislative Champion for being a consistent advocate for long term care (LTC) and our residents.

• Throughout his 20 year tenure in the General Assembly, Sickles has advocated for Medicaid funding and health care priorities to advance the well-being of thousands of Virginians.

What we heard:

• Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel reviewed the Youngkin Administration’s priorities, particularly around behavioral health, and asked members to provide input on steps that could be taken to grow the health care workforce.
• DSS Commissioner Danny Avula, MD and Division of Licensing Programs Director Tara Ragland discussed the agency’s work to support enhanced infection prevention and control efforts at assisted living facilities.
• State Health Commissioner Dr. Karen Shelton highlighted the agency’s emphasis on public health and the role LTC plays in public health. She also noted that the agency is working to reduce the backlog of nursing facility complaint surveys to focus on routine surveys
• DMAS Director Cheryl Roberts answered member questions about Medicaid unwinding, eligibility redeterminations, and transportation issues.
• Political commentator Dr. Bob Holsworth described the party and demographic changes in the General Assembly following the 2023 elections and Virginia’s currently divided political environment.
• Corey Feist, founder and CEO of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation discussed the urgent need to prioritize the wellbeing of healthcare workers, especially after the immense toll of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• AHCA/NCAL’s Clif Porter discussed efforts to push back against the CMS staffing mandate and the need for members to contact members of the Virginia Congressional delegation to let them know how problematic the proposed rule is.
• Virginia Community College System Chancellor Dr. David Doré reviewed VCCS’s efforts to increase the pipeline of workers in the most in-demand fields, which includes health care and expressed an interest in collaborating more with LTC providers to educate and train these students.
• Carrie Roth, director of the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement, discussed how members can use registered apprenticeship programs and partner with the state to address workforce needs .

Thank you to our Pledge Partners for supporting VHCA-VCAL in 2023:

Presenting Pledge Partner

• Saber Healthcare Group

Title Pledge Partner and Legislative Reception Sponsor

• PruittHealth Pharmacy Services

Platinum Pledge Partners

• Chiles Healthcare Consulting, LLC
• Walker-Phillips Healthcare Consulting

Gold Pledge Partners

• HealthPRO Heritage
• HPSI Purchasing Services
• Lument
• The Wright Group Consulting

Silver Pledge Partners

• Beneficial Associates, Inc.
• BOK Financial
• Continuum Therapy Partners
• Curana Health
• Ecolab, Inc.
• Goodman Allen Donnelly | Mellette, PC
• Hancock Daniel
• McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC
• Medline Industries, Inc.
• Parkway Long-Term Care & Senior Living Consulting
• Premier Geriatric Solutions PLLC
• Remedi SeniorCare
• Sands Anderson PC
• Williams Mullen