Opinion: Training the future health care workforce today
Meeting New York's care crisis for older adults will require strategic investment in workforce training programs like SkillSpring.
New York faces a historic demographic shift. According to a recent report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York City’s 65-and-older population reached 1.43 million in 2023 – a 53% increase from 2000, growing almost 17 times faster than the city’s total population. In Manhattan and Queens, nearly 20% of residents are over 65 years old. Statewide, nearly 3.5 million residents are now over the age of 65, the largest share in New York’s history.
To care for our older New Yorkers, we need to invest in programs that support their health and well-being. Yet facilities tasked with caring for them can’t find enough workers. Nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities are scrambling to fill shifts, fighting an uphill battle against an industry-wide staffing shortage. If the state doesn’t act, things will only get worse.
