The Long Term Care Coalition is pleased to share our contributions to several recent blog posts by the Consumer Health Foundation (CHF). The CHF is a DC based organization that provides funding to programs whose mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of low-income communities in the area. We are proud to partner with the CHF in the ongoing effort to improve the lives of direct care workers and the clients they serve, and we were honored to be able to contribute to their blog posts on the theme of “quality jobs, quality care.” Our LTC intern conducted interviews with three stakeholders in the direct care workforce, and the interviews have been finalized into a series of blog posts recently published by the Consumer Health Foundation. We invite you to read the posts, which are listed below:
In this interview, the LTC spoke with Daniel Wilson, the Director of Federal Affairs at Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute. Mr. Wilson advocates for better job quality in the direct care workforce, and told us he supports the idea of a direct care cooperative as a way to motivate workers and enhance their skills. http://www.consumerhealthfdn.org/2016/10/04/direct-care-workers-quality-jobsquality-care/
In this Q & A, Marla Lahat discusses the challenges of providing direct care workers with adequate wages in a system that is not generous with reimbursements. Ms. Lahat is the Executive Director of Home Care Partners, one of D.C’s longest running Home Health agencies. http://www.consumerhealthfdn.org/2016/10/04/direct-care-workers-quality-jobsquality-care-marla-lahat/
In this interview with Karen Skinner, the Executive Director of the DC Board of Nursing, the LTC discussed why direct care workers are a frequently overlooked group in the healthcare field, despite their growing presence and the essential services they provide. Ms. Skinner suggested that if a national Home Health Aide association existed, there would be more lobbying efforts on behalf of this workforce. http://www.consumerhealthfdn.org/2016/10/12/direct-care-workers-quality-jobsquality-care-karen-skinner/