VHCA-VCAL members visit the US Capitol

In meetings with eight members of the Virginia Congressional delegation and their staff, VHCA-VCAL members discussed workforce and reimbursement pressures facing nursing homes as the challenges of the pandemic continue. Chairman Derrick Kendall, President and CEO of Lucy Corr, led a contingent of eight VHCA-VCAL members to the meetings on Capitol Hill. VHCA-VCAL members and staff joined hundreds of other long term care advocates who traveled to Washington, DC to participate in AHCA/NCAL’s annual Congressional Briefing on June 7.

Left to right: Donna Shaw, Denise Chadwick-Wright, Derek Vuvich, Chief of Staff to Rep. Don Beyer Zach Cafritz, Mike Smith, Bolaji Lankanse, Gillian McLinden, and Steve Dean

VHCA-VCAL met with staff members from the offices of:

• Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA-01)
• Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03)
• Rep. Bob Good (R-VA-05)
• Rep. Ben Cline (R-VA-06)
• Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07)
• Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-08)
• Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA009)
• Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10)

Left to right: Donna Shaw, Mike Smith, Rep. Rob Wittman, Steve Dean, and Amy Hewett

Members expressed their thanks for the support Congress provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They also discussed their ongoing staffing and recruitment challenges and the threat that the proposed Medicare cuts pose to the stability of their facilities.

Left to right: Denise Chadwick-Wright, Derrick Kendall, Donna Shaw, Legislative Assistant to Rep. Abigail Spanberger Nick Widmeyer, William Coleman, Mike Smith, Jim Kohler, and Bolaji Lankanse

Special thanks to the VHCA-VCAL members who attended the briefing:

• Denise Chadwick Wright, CEO, Birmingham Green
• William Coleman,Vice President/COO, The Virginia Home
• Steve Dean, Corporate Account Director, Medline
• Derrick Kendall, President & CEO, Lucy Corr
• Bolaji Lakanse, August Healthcare Group
• Donna Shaw, Administrator, Woodbine Rehabilitation & Healthcare
• Michael Smith, Division President, Marquis Consulting Services
• Derek Vucich, Owner, Vierra Falls Church Health & Rehabilitation