Direct Care Workforce

Launched by CMS, the center provides information and assistance to state and local governments, policy makers, researchers, employers, workers and consumers. The Resource Center offers a comprehensive on-line database, information through a toll-free telephone number, and individualized, in-depth technical assistance for selected State Medicaid Agencies. Visit the site for best practices and other materials to increase the quality of the workforce and enhance recruitment and retention.

Research findings show that older workers are interested in direct care jobs and that long-term care employers view older workers as being able to provide better quality care - presenting one potential solution to a workforce shortage. This study was the first to explore the feasibility of engaging older workers. Telephone interviews were conducted with almost 700 lower-income job seekers in the seven states. These findings show a real potential for hiring older persons as frontline workers.

A new site from the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, the Health Care for Health Care Workers (HCHCW) initiative houses information about the widespread lack of health care coverage among direct-care workers. The number of uninsured is rising while demand for direct care grows and HCHCW is working to reverse that trend. Website sections include: The Health Insurance Crisis Overview, Resources, Campaigns, Related Initiatives, Telling Our Stories, and a Newsroom.

The Granite State Independent Living (GSIL) program has developed two great resources offered to providers of personal care and homemaking services. This employee handbook is intended to serve as a guideline, describing the policies and procedures of GSIL’s two Attendant Care Programs, the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) Program and the Personal Care Services (PCS) Program for consumers and employees. The Skills Training notebook offers agency information and various policies.

Advances in medicine and technology plus changes in social attitudes have improved employment opportunities for working-age adults with disabilities. Despite progress there are still barriers to employment. The Medicaid Buy-In program is an important component of the federal effort to make it easier for people with disabilities to work without losing health benefits. This report, the third in a series offers a profile of the 28 states with both Buy-In programs and Medicaid Infrastructure Grants.

Long-term care providers are often skeptical of the value of engaging in government workforce development initiatives. This Issue Brief examines the reluctance to invest and highlights five examples of successful partnerships between employers and workforce development networks. Partnerships are seeking to change business as usual to improve the quality of care, increase the supply of direct care workers and promote greater workforce stability through higher retention and lower turnover.

The first in a series of policy briefs from the Health Care for Health Care Workers campaign, this four-page paper provides basic facts about the health care crisis for direct-care workers. More than one in three workers has no health insurance, contributing to the instability of the workforce that undermines the quality of services for consumers. The brief also explains why direct-care workers lack access to health insurance and offers initial solutions for expanding coverage.

Read about a new guide for private sector employers which recognizes the public sector system for its use of evidence-based behavioral health care services and recommends that employers use these services. This publication also includes:<br>+State Profile: Oklahoma’s Broad Spectrum Of Leaders Embrace Transformation<br>+Federal Partner Spotlight: Health Resources and Services Administration<br>+IOM Report Reinforces the Federal Action Agenda <br>+SAMHSA Helps Build on Local Strengths in the Gulf

The Real Choice System Change project at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Disabilities administered a Community Inclusion Assessment to determine the level and quality of inclusion in Connecticut communities. The papers in this series are based on a (non-random) sample of 250 individuals with disabilities who completed an in-depth survey. Real Choice Briefing Paper #2 explores employment issues.

Review this two-part report on establishing an Association for Direct Care and Direct Support Workers in Maine. The materials feature a timeline of activities, challenges and outcomes for the Maine PASA program. The companion piece, Our Stories provides snapshots of the work that PAS face everyday. These informative reports illustrate the developments and productivity of the program through examples and pictures.