Join the Drive to $25

"For too long skilled nursing caregivers have been overlooked, overworked and underpaid." 

-CAHF CEO Craig Cornett

The California Association of Health Facilities, representing a majority of long-term care providers, is calling on the state to provide a living wage for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who work in skilled nursing homes by 2025. The “Drive to 25” campaign is part of a series of reforms needed to deal with a crippling workforce shortage that is threatening access to skilled care in nursing homes. CAHF is requesting that the Medi-Cal program establish a nursing home CNA minimum wage that will grow to $25 per hour in the next 3 years.

Fifty one percent of direct care staff, the backbone of care delivery in nursing homes, are eligible for public assistance according to a report by the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.

“For too long skilled care workers have been overlooked, overworked and underpaid,” said CAHF CEO Craig Cornett. “This reform is focused 100 percent on strengthening and developing the nursing home caregiver workforce and will not enrich facility operators.”

Cornett noted almost 80 percent of the state’s direct care workforce is comprised of women. Fifty percent are immigrants, and many are single mothers. “A living wage will help workers, increase caregiver retention and benefit resident care,” he added.