The state’s Department of Human Services issued $6.7 million in grants to improve quality of care and employee retention rates at 38 nursing homes throughout Minnesota.
 
Funding for the projects come from the agency’s Performance-based Incentive Payment Program (PIPP) and will be distributed over a one- to two-year period.
 
Which improvements the grants cover vary by nursing home, and in some cases won’t just apply to senior citizens, but to Minnesota patients in general:
 

• Creating a chemical dependency treatment program in Minneapolis. About $257,000 will be provided to Minneapolis-based mental health firm Andrew Residence to develop a program that assists residents dealing with both substance abuse and mental illness.
• Reducing emergency room visits at Minnesota hospitals. Duluth-based Benedictine Health Systems, in collaboration with 17 other facilities, will receive about $731,000 to reduce the spread of potential infectious organisms and, as a result, reduce the number of hospital admissions related to preventable infections.
• Improved dining services for various nursing homes. Meal choices will be improved at places like Ostrander Care and Rehab and The Gardens in Cannon Falls.
• Promoting higher employee retention. Turnover rates are notoriously high at nursing homes (reports find as many as three-quarters of staff leave within a year). Divine Providence Community Home in Sleepy Eye will look to address this issue by investing more in its onboarding process and other workplace systems.

 
The most recent round of PIPP grants were given to projects and facilities reaching 87 communities in Minnesota. A full list of health care facilities and projects being funded can be found here.