James_Sept-Oct_2025_web - Flipbook - Page 66
IN THE COMING YEAR, the oldest
baby boomers will be 80 years old.
Over four million people will turn
80 in the next five years and by
2030, there will be almost 19 million
people age 80 or older. Alarmingly,
the younger generation is not keeping pace with the aging demographic. As we confront an expanding
need for long term support services
and a shrinking workforce, to ensure
Georgia remains the best state to
live and work in and to continue
to prepare for our nation’s rapidly
growing aging population, advocates, policy makers, legislators and
providers must prioritize, support
and invest in elders and caregivers.
As the professional trade association serving over 66,000 beneficiaries
in skilled nursing and assisted living
centers and home and community-based care settings, Georgia Health
Care Association (GHCA) is leading
the way through a bold policy agenda
that promotes innovative solutions
for quality of care and quality of life.
Our key priorities include:
+ Strengthening the post-acute
care workforce
+ Rationalizing the regulatory
environment
+ Funding to cover cost to care
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+ Supporting a Fair Rental Value
Property System to incentivize
modernization of physical plants
and infrastructure to promote
quality of life, quality of care and
emergency/disaster preparedness
Across our great state, in
essentially every rural and urban
county, GHCA members are passionate about serving elders and
individuals with disabilities with
dignity and respect while supporting a workforce of over 56,000.
These dedicated professionals are
not simply hoping for good outcomes; rather, they are building
upon GHCA’s legacy of quality and
pursuing systematic quality improvement through proven quality
frameworks, workforce investment
and enduring partnerships.
The AHCA/NCAL National
Quality Award Program, based upon
Malcolm Baldridge criteria, assists
organizations to identify strengths,
opportunities, and critical areas for
improvement and to implement a
plan to be stronger, more resilient,
and successful. The three-level
program evaluates long term
care organizations capabilities against nationally
recognized standards for
excellence. Each progressive awards level—
Bronze: Commitment to Quality, Silver:
Achievement in Quality, and Gold:
Excellence in Quality, requires a more
detailed demonstration of superior
performance.
Presently, GA is ranked second
in the nation for the most quality
award recipients in skilled nursing
and assisted living centers. There are
133 active Bronze, 43 Silver and four
Gold quality award recipients.
JCAHO, formerly known as the
Joint Commission, is a non-profit
organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations in the
United States. The Joint Commission sets standards for quality and
safety in healthcare, and its accreditation is a widely recognized symbol
of commitment to high standards.
In Georgia, JCAHO is voluntary and
due to federal regulations does not
afford accredited skilled nursing
centers with deemed status, as is
available to other healthcare settings. Despite this, 144 centers have
achieved accreditation. GHCA is
strongly advocating for deemed status for JCAHO accredited centers to
