Last week’s Symposium on Strengthening the direct service workforce in Baltimore was an exciting event. Here’s a report from DCA Executive Director Leonila Vega.
The 2008 Symposium on Strengthening the HCBS Direct Service Workforce turned out to be a great event and a major success for the organizers from the Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Lewin Group.
It was very invigorating to see that these influential agencies have taken steps to start addressing the long-term care workforce crisis. The event was attended by several hundred people from each of the key constituencies involved in the long-term care system. The Alliance shared our experience in working with employers, direct care workers and older adults and persons with disabilities as we support worker associations and coalitions.
I learned a great deal at the event and I found it very encouraging that the organizers made a very strong and highly successful effort to include the voice of direct care workers and their organizations. This effort was also seen in the composition of the work groups and break out sessions.
The Alliance was able to gather over a dozen direct care workers who attended the event and participated in all the discussions. I thank the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Lewin group for organizing the conference. I look forward to building on the great discussions and work that was outlined at the conference. The themes are all familiar for our work, such as improving the image for the profession, improving training and wages and benefits. I look forward to working with the new friends we made as the Alliance moves forward on our mission to improve the direct care worker profession.
Anyone else has any impressions about the meeting, please share them. I would love to hear other perspectives from people that attended the event.
Leonila Vega, Esq.
Executive Director
Direct Care Alliance
The Baltimore Symposium, May 7-9, 2008 was a marvelous opportunity for gaining insight and knowledge on the federal, national and state initiatives that have taken place, are currently underway and being explored to secure workforce development in all areas of long term care. Sessions featured individual speakers from all aspects workforce services from researchers to developers to policy development and most important the workers themselves, direct care and support services, as well as the consumers they serve.
A wealth of information was given and shared by participants from approximately 40 States! The symposium allowed us to gain a wealth of statistical and research information, share best practices, and communicate first hand with experts in numerous partnering departments and organizations.
I wish to thank the Planning Committee for an informative and successful symposium.
As a direct care worker, I was amazed at the many levels I encountered at the Baltimore Symposium. From ghrassroots organizers to federal managers of funds for direct care workers. My primary insight is the need for a Nation Steering Committee. Some one to focus those many and varied groups into a powerful force of one or two or three. A foucused voice much like beams of light focused upon an object, generates heat. It would have been nice to know of those funding opportunities before, as that is some time a stopping point in growth for many organizations. Also those funds were for short term projects that would have allowed you to put numbers to your project and maybe make it sustainable. A National Steering Cmte. would be a great asset!
I thoroughly enjoyed the Baltimore Syposium. It’s nice to finally see the Federal and State govern-ments taking a hard look at the issues facing direct care workers today and in the future. I’m very hopeful that symposiums such as this will move our cause forward in the near future versus later.
Julie your comment is right on. There is an urgency to reform and improve the workforce in long term care. Our elders will face shortages that will greatly impact quality of life unless we act proactively now and improve the profession from a policy standpoint. I am hopeful given the breath and committment shown at the conference.
I was completely in awe that the directcare worker movement has come this far. The symposium not only allowed us to learn about what is up and coming but it provided us valuable time to network. It was also wonderful to see a good amount of direct care workers’ in attendence and it seemed completely natural.
The Symposium was a eye opener for me. I have been trying to find out how it is i reach my goal for TANA. I know now this has to be a collabrate effort for all of the associations to stand together to make the change for caregivers through out the nation.I had the oppurtunity to network with folks who care about us. Thw information was overwhelming prepared for us.I hope i can attend the next workshop or even be apart of the program.