MARSHALL — A Marshall resident has been reappointed to serve on a state board working to protect the welfare of nursing home caregivers.

Last week, the office of Gov. Tim Walz announced that Mary Swanson will be serving a second term on the Minnesota Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board.

Swanson was first appointed to the board in 2023, and her new term will run until Jan. 1, 2029. She is the nursing home administrator for the Good Samaritan Society facility in Westbrook.

Swanson said serving on the board has been a positive experience.

“I think we’re getting some really good work done,” she said.

She said there was still a lot left to do, both to help improve working conditions for nursing home employees, and to help elevate careers in long-term care.

The Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board was created during the 2023 state legislative session.

“They were looking for volunteers to sit on the board, from both the employer standpoint and the worker standpoint,” Swanson said.

After applying to be part of the board, she was appointed by the governor.

The nine-member board is tasked with investigating working conditions in the nursing home industry, and setting operating procedures for nursing home employment. Board members include representatives of both nursing home workers and employers.

Swanson said some things the Nursing Home Workforce Standards has worked on since 2023 included raising the minimum wage for frontline workers in Minnesota nursing homes, and increasing the number of holidays they received.

“The industry has had, for a long time, workforce challenges,” Swanson said.

Being able to set new workforce standards could help recruit more good employees into the long-term care field, she said.

Swanson said she was also thankful that the Good Samaritan Society supported her service on the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. Attending board meetings is something that takes travel and time, Swanson said.

“I’m very grateful that my employer is very supportive,” she said.