Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board first meeting is Sept. 14, executive director named

The Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, which was created in law during the 2023 legislative session to set minimum standards necessary to protect the health and welfare of nursing home workers, will conduct its first meeting at 2 p.m., Sept. 14, at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI).

The board will be led by an executive director and will have equal representation between workers and employers to level standards, improve working conditions and better serve the vulnerable Minnesotans being cared for in these facilities.

DLI Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach has announced Leah Solo will lead the group as the board's executive director to ensure it meets statutory objectives.

In this role, Solo hopes to include broad and diverse perspectives from across the state's nursing home industry.

"Whether you are recovering from surgery in Rochester or aging with dignity in Brainerd, the people providing your care are essential to your wellbeing," Solo said. "I am eager to work with the frontline workers, industry experts and Gov. Tim Walz's administration to build relationships and find common ground."

Previously, Solo has led organizations and campaigns to bring people together around common values and improve the lives of Minnesotans.

About the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board

The board was created to conduct investigations into working conditions in the nursing home industry and adopt rules establishing minimum employment standards reasonably necessary and appropriate to protect the health and welfare of nursing home workers (Article 3 of 2023 Minnesota Session Laws Chapter 53).

The board is composed of nine members, including the commissioners of the Departments of Labor and Industry, Health, and Human Services or their designees and six members appointed by the governor:  three members who represent nursing home workers or worker organizations; and three members who represent nursing home employers or employer organizations.

Visit the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board webpage for more information.