California is failing skilled nursing patients and their caregivers. Unless Governor Newsom and state lawmakers act now to restore critical funding for the Workforce Quality Incentive Program (WQIP) in the 2026-27 state budget, skilled nursing facilities across the state will face staffing shortages, be forced to scale back services, and some facilities will close entirely.
That would spell disaster for my patients in Santa Barbara and hundreds of thousands of skilled nursing patients throughout the state who are medically vulnerable and have no other options for the 24/7 medical care they require.
As a nurse in a skilled nursing facility, it’s deeply personal.
Growing up, I never imagined becoming a nurse. That changed after high school, when I took a job caring in-home for a woman with cerebral palsy. She was blind, nonverbal, and completely dependent on others for her daily needs. What began as a job quickly became a calling.
For 10 years, I cared for her. During that time, I witnessed the power of consistent, compassionate care — and the deep responsibility it demands. Caring for her inspired me to attend nursing school after long shifts, determined to find a career devoted to serving others.
Today, I’m the Assistant Director of Nursing at Channel Islands Post Acute in Santa Barbara, part of a network of more than 1,000 skilled nursing facilities across California. Every day, I lead a team of 55 nurses and 70 certified nursing assistants alongside therapists and social workers to provide 24-hour comprehensive medical care to some of the most vulnerable patients in our community.
We care for seniors, veterans, people recovering from strokes, surgeries, and serious injuries, and individuals with disabilities. The overwhelming majority rely on Medi-Cal or Medicare and have nowhere else to turn for the round-the-clock medical care they need.
Unlike hospitals, we don’t just treat patients and send them home. We care for them over weeks, months and sometimes years. We celebrate birthdays and milestones. We sit with families during uncertain moments and share small but meaningful victories. We become an extension of their families, and they become an extension of ours.
High quality patient care doesn’t happen by accident, it depends on a strong, supported workforce. As Assistant Director of Nursing, I’m responsible not just for patient care, but for leading and mentoring our nurses and certified nursing assistants, ensuring they have the support, training and resources they need to provide the quality care our patients deserve.
That’s exactly what WQIP funding makes possible — recruiting, training, and support for the caregivers that patients are counting on every day. It also drives investments in facilities, modern medical technology and other services patients need.
That’s why last year’s $300 million cut to skilled nursing facilities was devastating. If these cuts aren’t reversed, the consequences will be immediate: staff shortages, reduced services, and potential facility closures. Patients and families will have fewer options (or none at all), and overcrowded hospitals will be forced to keep patients longer, driving up costs and wait times.
State budgets are about values. Governor Newsom and state lawmakers must restore Workforce Quality Incentive Program funding in the 2026-27 state budget to support skilled nursing patients and the workforce that cares for them.
