To: The United States Congress, State Legislatures, and Healthcare Policymakers

We, the undersigned, call for the abolition of staffing agencies in healthcare, with a focus on long-term care facilities, to stabilize the workforce, ensure accountability, and improve the quality of care for our nation’s elderly and vulnerable populations.

The Problem

Staffing agencies have taken control of healthcare staffing, prioritizing profits over patient care and leaving long-term care facilities in crisis. This system has created a cycle of instability, financial exploitation, and a lack of accountability, harming both residents and the workers who care for them.

 1. Disruption of Continuity of Care

Residents in long-term care facilities thrive on familiarity and consistency. Staffing agencies frequently send temporary workers who are unfamiliar with residents’ needs, leading to impersonal, inadequate care and a decline in residents’ quality of life.

 2. Lack of Accountability

Agency workers are not held to the same standards as permanent staff. Facilities have no authority to discipline them for poor performance or noncompliance, and agencies often reassign underperforming staff elsewhere without consequence.

 3. Financial Exploitation

Staffing agencies charge exorbitant rates while paying workers less than they are worth. Facilities must pay inflated fees, leaving fewer resources to invest in permanent staff, training, and resident care.

 4. Erosion of Workforce Stability

Permanent staff leave full-time positions to work for agencies, where they are guaranteed significantly higher pay. Many facilities see former employees resign, only to return as agency workers earning more for the same job, destabilizing teams and discouraging loyalty.

The Solution

We demand the abolition of staffing agencies in healthcare and propose the following reforms to stabilize and strengthen the workforce:

 1. Redirect Workers into Permanent Employment

Eliminate staffing agencies and encourage healthcare workers to return to full-time positions with facilities, ensuring consistency and quality of care for residents.

 2. Improve Wages and Benefits for Permanent Staff

Use the money saved from eliminating agency fees to offer competitive pay, benefits, and retention bonuses for full-time employees.

 3. Expand Training and Certification Programs

Create targeted training and certifications for long-term care professionals, especially LPNs and CNAs, to expand their scope of practice and better equip them for the unique challenges of this field.

 4. Enforce Performance-Based Standards

Until staffing agencies are phased out, require performance-based payment models to ensure accountability. Agencies should only be paid when their workers meet specific performance and care standards.

 5. Invest in Workforce Development

Redirect state and federal funds to support facility-led workforce development programs, ensuring a steady pipeline of skilled and dedicated long-term care workers.

Why This Matters

Long-term care workers are the lifeline for millions of elderly and vulnerable Americans. They sacrifice time with their families, endure mistreatment, and live in fear of criminal charges for systemic failures they cannot control. Yet, the staffing agency model undermines their efforts, prioritizing short-term profits over stability and care.

By abolishing staffing agencies, we can rebuild a system that values workforce stability, accountability, and the well-being of both workers and residents. We can provide permanent staff with the resources, training, and respect they deserve, ensuring that long-term care facilities can deliver compassionate, high-quality care to those who depend on it most.

Sign the Petition

Join us in demanding action. Together, we can abolish staffing agencies in healthcare and create a better future for long-term care residents and the dedicated workers who serve them.