Rensselaer County to Offer Salary Increase and Incentive to Maintain and Attract New Employees at County’s Van Rensselaer Manor
Rensselaer County has approved pay increases to help attract new employees and retain current employees at the county’s Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home, County Executive Steve McLaughlin and members of the County Legislature announced.
The increases will help position the county to better deal with ongoing staffing shortages that are now typical in the medical and care professions, said county officials.
The increases are also accompanied by incentives for employees at the VRM into mid-January.
“We are taking steps to retain current employees and attract employees during a difficult climate and maintain the outstanding service provided at the Van Rensselaer Manor,” said McLaughlin.
“Like all care institutions, the Van Rensselaer Manor is facing staffing challenges. We hope this move helps retain current staffers and bring new employees to the VRM,” added McLaughlin.
“Thank you to the County Executive and Legislature for supporting these initiatives. All of our staff at VRM do an amazing job of caring for our residents. These initiatives will go along way to retain and recruit nursing staff,” said Department of Social Services Commissioner Theresa Beaudoin.
To deal with staffing shortfalls at the VRM, the county has reduced the number of residents admitted at the VRM. The VRM has a capacity of 362 beds, but has reduced the number of residents by several dozen during the staffing shortage.
A resolution for the salary increases at the Manor was approved by the County Legislature during the regular monthly meeting on December 14.
The increases are as follows:
– CNAs – $2 an hour increase
– LPNs – $2 an hour increase
– RNs – $10 an hour increase
The increases are in addition to the previously negotiated 2 percent increase per the contract.
The increases are accompanied by an incentive for nursing staff. The incentive program runs from 12/7/2021 to 1/13/2022, and includes bonus amounts of $100 for less than full-time nursing staff and $200 for full-time nursing staff.
“We have skilled professionals at the Van Rensselaer Manor that care for our most vulnerable residents. We are happy to provide this additional compensation so that we are able to retain and attract those great employees that we trust to take care of our loved ones every day,” Vice Chair Kelly Hoffman.
“As a sponsor of this resolution, I am pleased to support this measure as a necessary first step in bringing those salaries to a reasonable level,” said Legislator Tom Grant- Chair of Social Services Committee- East Greenbush.
“With the current staffing shortages throughout the region, I am impressed with our response to raise the pay of these essential workers who are entrusted to serve others and help the people of our community,” said Legislator Scott Bendett- Chair of the Health Committee- Averill Park.
“The staffing shortages have impacted the operations at the Manor. This increase in pay should help us hire more staff and help retain the dedicated staff that worked tirelessly through the pandemic,” said Legislator Dan Casale- Brunswick.
The resolution introduced by McLaughlin to provide the salary increase and the incentive was approved unanimously at the Legislature’s December 14 meeting.