Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 10

175 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 10 including myself. “Currently, we represent just over 500 long- term care providers across the state – a mix of for-profits, not-for-profits, and care providers. We represent the entirety of the long-term care sector, which includes skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, and developmental disability facilities. That 500 number counts only our facility-based members. They range from mom- and-pop single owner/operator shops to larger nationwide chains and everything in between. “In addition to our facilities membership, we also have individual memberships (professionals such as doctors, consultants, etc.) and over 200 associate business members – folks who do ancillary services for our members, such as attorneys, accountants, laundry services.” BVM: What services do you provide your members? Hartman: “Our member services are across the I LL INOI S HEALTH CARE ASSOC I AT ION ( IHCA) board with a couple of main buckets. Advocacy in the state house and with the administration and its regulatory agencies is one of the key pieces that we do. We look to the federal government through our national affiliate for funding for regulatory solutions on a wide array of issues. “In other avenues, many of our members require continuing certified education credits to maintain their professional licenses, so we do educational work for them throughout the year, including at our annual convention, which alternates between Springfield and Peoria. In addition to that, we train them how to utilize the media, and we serve as an intermediary for the sector with the media. “We also do hands-on operational work with our members. This has been an especially important piece during the pandemic. As rules and requirements change, operationalizing those things is hard. You have the task every day of working with residents, ensuring they are safe