Mecklenburg is planning a $1k bonus for nursing home volunteers. How it could work
Mecklenburg County plans to provide a financial boost to new volunteers for short-handed boards that inspect local nursing homes and assisted living communities.
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County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to direct staff to develop a pilot program to pay $1,000 one-time “bonuses” to new appointees to Mecklenburg’s Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee and Adult Care Home Community Advisory Committee.
The committees’ responsibilities include regular visits to area nursing homes and assisted living communities and helping look into complaints at facilities. Together, they have 52 vacancies, District 6 Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Commissioners did not offer a timeline for when the pilot program will launch and said they want to develop guardrails for the money, including not paying out the bonuses until volunteers complete all required training and potentially asking appointees to sign a commitment to serving a full term.
Commissioners previously called the shortage “unacceptable” and pledged to look into ways to recruit more volunteers.
“The only way we can ensure (facilities) are doing their job is to have volunteers,” District 3 Commissioner George Dunlap said at a July meeting.
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On Tuesday, Rodriguez-McDowell pitched the pilot program as a potential solution to a longstanding issue with recruiting new members for the committees: an unwillingness or inability to complete state-mandated 36 hours of training.
“This is a big roadblock for us filling these positions,” she said.
District 1 Commissioner Elaine Powell said she’s hopeful the bonuses would make it easier for “motivated” people to take on the commitment of joining the committees.
“It pays for their time while they’re in class,” she said.
The bonus money would come from the county’s contingency fund.
Members of the nursing home and assisted living committees currently receive a $150 monthly stipend intended to pay for gas used to get to and from the facilities they’re visiting.
Mecklenburg residents interested in volunteering can find more information at bocc.mecknc.gov/AdvisoryBoards.
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