OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Employers of personal and home health care workers in West Michigan are warning of a significant labor shortage that is limiting care and crippling some organizations.
"It's been a problem for a number of years, and we're seeing it continue to grow," said Tracey Hamlet, executive director of Moka, an organization dedicated to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Personal and home health aides make an average of $24,060 a year - the lowest among healthcare occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With increasing job numbers in the current economy, direct care providers can't afford to compete with other companies' wages, said Lynne Doyle, executive director of Ottawa County Community Mental Health.
"It has everything to do with funding and our ability to fund those services adequately depends on what we're paid through the state," Doyle said.
Community Mental Health, and its contracted care providers, receive funding from the state through Medicaid. All of those providers are experiencing difficulties finding staff, she said.
"We have experienced provider organizations that have had to limit their services, or we've had group homes close because they couldn't find the staff in order to run their business," Doyle said.
As the baby boomer generation ages, demand for home and personal health aides will continue growing. Employment of those aides is projected to grow 36 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to federal data.
If people are going to take those jobs, they need proper compensation, Hamlet said.
"It would require some legislative changes in the rates," she said. "The state [needs to] understand how serious the problem is and provide the changes we need."
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