LeadingAge New York

04/01/2026

With state budget work ongoing, LeadingAge New York and our members are urging lawmakers to protect and fund programs that keep older adults safe, healthy, and supported in their homes.

One critical initiative is the Resident Assistance Program, which would bring on-site Resident Assistants (RAs) into affordable senior housing buildings in New York City and across the state.

As Selfhelp Community Services, Inc.’s Katie Foley explains, a $2 million investment in the state budget would deliver outsized impact:

• Help older adults avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
• Support aging in place and long-term stability.
• Reduce Medicaid spending—aligning with the State’s affordability and cost-saving goals.

At a moment when New York is searching for sustainable solutions, funding on-site social services in affordable senior housing is both smart policy and compassionate practice.

We encourage the Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to include this proven program in the final budget, as included in the Senate one-house proposal. Please help aging New Yorkers continue to thrive in their homes!

Since Hochul became governor in 2021, she’s presided over four budget deals. All of them were late.

03/31/2026

New York has an opportunity to strengthen nursing home resident care teams this year!

Authorizing the training and employment of Certified Medication Aides (CMAs) in nursing homes would enhance the long-term care career ladder and make a meaningful difference for both residents and frontline staff. As Michael E. McRae, president and CEO of St. Ann's Community, explains in his recent opinion piece in the RBJ, authorizing CMAs would:

• Free nurses to focus on higher-level clinical tasks.
• Improve the timeliness of routine medication administration.
• Support care teams amid persistent workforce shortages.
• Maintain safety through rigorous training and nurse oversight.

A strong and efficient workforce is critical to resident safety. With demand for long-term care services predicted to rise, authorizing CMAs now is a smart, safe modernization New York cannot afford to delay any further.

Every day, dedicated nurses and caregivers show up with professionalism and compassion; but the reality is clear: the system is under extraordinary strain.

03/30/2026

Yesterday, The Buffalo News published a story highlighting a troubling trend impacting communities across New York State: the accelerating rate of nursing home closures. The nursing homes in Western New York serve 32,000 patients annually, with 93% of individuals coming from hospitals. Yet 73% of the nursing home beds in the region are at risk due to negative operating margins.

Policymakers including Governor Kathy Hochul, Assemblywoman Amy R. Paulin, and Senator Patricia A. Fahy agree: nursing homes take care of our most vulnerable, and more Medicaid funding is needed to stabilize the sector and prevent more closures.

The recent closures in Western New York are part of a statewide pattern driven by chronic Medicaid underfunding. To protect access to quality care for older adults, the final must include $750 million in new Medicaid funding for nursing homes, as well as a full 15% restoration of cuts to capital funding. Vulnerable New Yorkers seeking long-term or post-acute care deserve a stable, high-quality care system they can depend on.

New York lawmakers and the nursing home industry are urging that $750 million in the next state budget go to nursing homes to safeguard care for the state's most vulnerable populations.

03/20/2026

Yesterday at the Capitol, LeadingAge New York, nursing home leaders, residents’ families, and state lawmakers came together to shine a light on New York’s growing nursing home funding crisis.

Years of chronic underfunding have pushed too many nursing homes to the brink—leading to staffing shortages, closures, longer hospital stays, and limited care options for older adults across the state. Unfortunately, it is the most high-quality, well-staffed homes that are being forced to close or sell. Of the 47 homes recognized by the State as top-performing homes based on State-selected quality measures, 15% have closed, been sold, or are in the sale process.

Providers and families shared powerful stories about what this crisis means in real life for those who depend on long-term care.

We are deeply grateful to the state leaders who stood with us yesterday and continue to champion meaningful Medicaid investment for older New Yorkers.

Thank you to Senator Patricia A. Fahy, Senator Cordell Cleare, Assemblymember Gabriella A. Romero, Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, Assemblywoman Amy R. Paulin, and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo.

Your leadership is essential to protecting access to quality nursing home care and ensuring older adults can receive services close to home.

03/09/2026

This past Friday, Good Shepherd Communities, LeadingAge New York, lawmakers, and residents joined together to highlight the funding crisis impacting nursing homes and older adults across the state. Thank you to Senator Lea Webb and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo for taking the time to champion stronger funding for high-quality nursing home care in New York State.

Chronic underfunding is threatening access to quality care for older adults and New York families. Eleven New York nursing homes have announced closure since 2024 – two in the Southern Tier.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, New York’s health care continuum depends on a thriving long-term care sector. Please prioritize funding for long-term care in the one-house budget proposals. Nursing homes need half ($750M) of the new Medicaid funding proposed by Governor Kathy Hochul. The future of long-term care and the well-being of thousands of older adults depends on decisive action now.

Officials say 10 non-profit nursing homes in New York state have closed in the last two years.

03/06/2026

From all of your friends at LeadingAge New York, congratulations, Nancy, and best wishes in your next chapter!

03/04/2026

LeadingAge New York’s Sebrina Barrett, Heritage Ministries’ Lisa Haglund, and Catholic Health’s Hadley Horrigan recently joined BTPM NPR to discuss the need for $750M in this year’s to preserve access to high-quality nursing home care in Western New York and statewide. Listen: https://bit.ly/4r7hz0z.

02/27/2026

Today, LeadingAge New York joined residents, family members, and dedicated state lawmakers at the Jewish Home to shine a light on New York’s nursing home funding crisis and the urgent need for meaningful investment in long term care.

A heartfelt thank you to Assemblymember Harry Bronson, Assemblywoman Sarah Clark - AD 136, Assemblyman Josh Jensen, Assemblymember Jen Lunsford, Senator Samra Brouk, and Senator Jeremy Cooney – and to all the Assemblymembers and Senators who stand with us – for taking the time to support and champion stronger funding for high-quality nursing home care in New York State.

New York is experiencing a wave of nursing home closures and bed reductions because nursing home Medicaid rates are too low. This is limiting the choices available to older adults, delaying hospital discharges, and causing gridlock in hospitals.

Together, we are calling for a future where every New Yorker can access safe, high-quality care close to home. We urge that the prioritize quality care for older adults by investing meaningful new dollars in the nursing home Medicaid rate, restoring all cuts to capital reimbursement, and investing in the full continuum of long-term care in the SFY 2026-27 budget.

02/27/2026

Wednesday was a marathon day of advocacy in support of Resident Assistance in affordable senior housing for LeadingAge New York, LiveOn NY, the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, and Selfhelp Community Services, Inc.! Thank you to Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, Senator Cordell Cleare, and others for speaking with us about this important program to help older New Yorkers age safely in place.

02/12/2026

Directors of Nursing and Directors of Social Work—your teams rely on you every day. But who’s supporting your growth, resilience, and leadership?

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If you’re ready to lead with more clarity, support, and impact, this is your next step.

Register here: https://cvent.me/mRVrPy.

02/11/2026

At yesterday’s Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Health/Medicaid, LeadingAge New York’s Sebrina Barrett shared our top priorities for the SFY 2026-27 budget on behalf of non-profit nursing homes and LTC providers across the state.

To protect access to quality care for older adults, the final budget must:

• Invest $1.5B in nursing homes and hospitals – with $750M allocated to nursing homes.
• Strengthen staffing, reward high-performing providers, and support providers at risk.
• Ensure that previously approved funding is delivered to LTC providers without delay – and made permanent.
• Restore capital funding cuts, which impact nursing homes, pediatric facilities, and ADHC programs.
• Support the full continuum of LTC and aging services.

New York’s non-profit LTC providers are essential to communities and families statewide. Sustainable investment in LTC means consistent, quality care for the New Yorkers who depend on it every day.

02/11/2026

LeadingAge New York’s Sebrina Barrett and the New York State Health Facilities Association’s Stephen Hanse recently spoke with City and State NY about the challenges facing the state’s LTC system and the policy decisions that will determine whether access to quality care can be sustained. Read:

A Q&A with Stephen B. Hanse of NYSHFA | NYSCAL and Sebrina Barrett of LeadingAge New York