The Direct Care Alliance recently formed the National Direct Care Partnership, a national coalition that brings together direct care workers, consumers, and employers. The partnership will provide a strong voice for change in the direct care workforce. The coalition will vote to endorse issues. Individual participants can either choose to support or opt out of having their name on the letters, testimony, and other statements that are generated.
A primary goal of the Partnership is to lobby for legislation that will improve direct care workforce conditions and compensation. Strong credibility was given to these issues by a report that was recently released by the Institute of Medicine. Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce provides an advocacy opportunity for direct care workers and their allies. It acknowledges that direct care workers provide a majority of hands-on care to those who are aging. It addresses key issues in the direct care workforce, such as workforce shortages, wages, recruitment, retention, and training, and recommends financial incentives, training opportunities, increased training requirements, licensure and certification.
Turnout for the Partnership’s first conference call on Friday, October 10, was impressive. Leonila Vega, the DCA’s executive director, discussed the IOM report and the exciting advocacy opportunities that it creates. Leonila spoke about the need for an “increased advocacy capacity to bring out the changes needed” regarding “the 3 R’s: retention, recruitment, and respect.” She emphasized the importance of taking advantage of this new opportunity with efficient and effective communication and advocacy work.
In order for broad constituencies to work together in the Partnership, they will have to find areas of agreement. Fortunately, there are a variety of shared interests around improving direct care jobs. For example, virtually everyone agrees that turnover is one of the biggest problems in the direct care workforce.
Perhaps consensus can be reached by collective support of pieces of legislation. There are currently several bills to be aware of, such as Bill H.R. 1279: Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007, which would fund wage increases for select workers supporting individuals with disabilities by amending Medicaid.
You are invited to join the DCA’s National Partnership. For more information, please contact Roy Gedat, National Advocacy Director, or Leonila Vega, Executive Director, of the Direct Care Alliance by calling 212-730-0741 or emailing LVega@directcarealliance.org.
Bridget Siljander
Direct Care Worker Specialist
Direct Care Alliance
