New York — When it comes to keeping nursing home workers around long enough to actually make a difference, two operators say the answer isn’t complicated — it just takes consistency, visibility, and treating every employee like they matter.
Executives from Journey Healthcare and Gurwin Jewish Nursing & Rehabilitation Center recently shared the staffing strategies that have worked for their organizations, at a time when turnover continues to drain resources and erode care quality across the long-term care industry.
Start with Communication — and Mean It
At Journey, Chief Operating Officer Kaci Lingle said the foundation is making sure every single employee — from the dietary aides to the CNAs — understands the mission and knows they’re essential to it.
“Everyone wants to feel that they are in the know, that they’re part of something bigger,” Lingle said. “Every dietary aid, every housekeeping aid, every CNA, needs to know that we wouldn’t be able to do our jobs without them.”
That starts with structured morning meetings that deliver consistent messaging down to frontline staff. If leadership isn’t deliberate about it, the message gets lost. Journey has built that intentionality into its daily operations — not as a policy, but as a culture.
Walking the Floors, Every Day
At Gurwin, CEO Stuart Almer takes a more personal approach. He rounds daily, talking to staff, picking up on problems before they become crises, and making sure workers feel recognized — not just evaluated.
“Every day, I learn something I didn’t know before from the staff,” Almer said. “Or, I see something, I hear something, and then we can address it.”
His management team is empowered to act fast on small things — like covering an Uber ride for a worker whose car broke down. It sounds trivial. But those gestures build loyalty that no sign-on bonus can replicate.
“It’s a 24/7 job to be visible and accessible,” Almer added. “It can’t be just one person. It has to be all of us doing this all the time.”
Building Careers, Not Just Shifts
Both operators have invested heavily in training and advancement opportunities, recognizing that workers who see a future at a facility are less likely to leave.
Journey hosted a “skills summit” that brought top-performing clinical staff together for competitions, recognition ceremonies, scholarships, and career advancement opportunities. Gurwin has embedded full-time nurse educators into its operations and serves as a regional training hub for CNAs — which doubles as both a recruitment and retention tool.
Tuition reimbursement, school partnerships, and clear internal promotion pathways round out what both organizations describe as a long-term investment in their people.
Federal Dollars Could Help — But Aren’t the Whole Answer
The conversation came as the $200 million CMS workforce initiative announced by Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz drew attention across the industry. Lingle said that kind of funding could make a real difference — particularly if it’s channeled toward education and entry-level pathways into long-term care.
But she was careful not to frame federal dollars as a cure-all. The grassroots work — the daily touchpoints, the empowered managers, the culture of recognition — that’s what keeps people from walking out the door.
“There’s nothing like a grassroots effort,” Lingle said.
In an industry where CNA turnover regularly exceeds 50 percent at some facilities, the operators who crack the retention code aren’t doing it with perks alone. They’re showing up every day — and making sure their staff knows someone is paying attention.
