On Saturday, July 17, the Direct Care Alliance held a Voices Institute Leadership Training Workshop in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, which I led with Brenda Nachtway. Eight direct care workers attended the workshop that included leadership self-assessment and modules on personal power, membership recruitment and building relationships with allies. The attendees were especially inspired to hear that the Direct Care Empowerment Act was about to be introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives and they practiced visiting with allies to gain support for the bill. On completion of the workshop, five participants – Clara Glenn, Margaret Beringer, Rolanda Crawley, Soon Hong and Noel Mendes – formed a Leadership Circle and are working together to build a chapter of the Pennsylvania Direct Care Workers Association in the Philadelphia region. Continue reading »
Dr. Vera Salter, Direct Care Alliance; Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
Yesterday, Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) hosted a Senate Special Committee on Aging Hearing in Wilkes-Barre, where he announced his intention to introduce the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act (House version introduced last week by Rep. Linda Sanchez).
The hearing – Taking care of Mom and Dad: Why We Need a Quality Workforce to Serve Our Older Americans – addressed the growing need for quality medical personnel to take care of a growing aging population. I was invited to deliver testimony, along with Continue reading »
July 28, 2010, was a remarkable day for direct care workers across the country as Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) announced the introduction of the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act.
Rep. Sanchez has been a champion for direct care workers. Last year, she led an effort along with DCA to call on the Department of Labor to fix the companionship exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act. While we do applaud the Department of Labor for adding this issue to the 2010 regulatory agenda, a legislative change would solidify protections for home care workers in the law, not leaving this issue to the “whims of any one administration.” As someone who has worked for less-than-minimum wage in my lifetime, I can say that this change is long overdue. Too many direct care workers struggle to support themselves and their families, working long hours doing backbreaking labor not because they have to, but because they love helping others. They are professionals and should have the same protections as all other workers in this country. Continue reading »
Former National Advocacy Director Roy Gedat will re-join the DCA staff as State Advocacy Director to lead the development of its membership program, focusing on recruiting and developing direct care worker leaders and connecting with supporters and advocates across the country. Roy will also support the implementation of the Langeloth Foundation grant to provide worker leadership training in New York and Maine. His work was instrumental to the DCA’s early success, and we’re thrilled to have him back! Roy has over 35 years in human services including 20 as the Executive Director of a child health agency. He was the founding director of Maine’s direct care worker organization Maine PASA, a direct care worker and a political activist who has run for office, and is currently the Treasurer of Oxford County, Maine. Roy has recently been focusing his energies on starting a private duty home care agency, raising money for several local and state-wide organizations and political campaign
Helen Hanson
Helen Hanson, a great friend of the DCA and a strong advocate for direct care workers in Maine, is joining our staff as a Worker Advocate to assist in grassroots organizing and strengthen our advocacy efforts in Maine and across the country. Helen is a graduate of the DCA’s Voices Institute and has excelled so much since! She is a Certified Nursing Assistant and works with elders in their homes as a Personal Care Attendant. She’s been a direct care worker for eight years and has been an active advocate for change, leading Maine PASA and serving on a committee established to advise the Department of Health and Human Services on how to improve its long-term care system. She is currently running for the Maine House of Representatives.
Helen and Roy are huge assets to DCA and will be key to our continued growth. Please join me in welcoming them aboard!
I am one of the original 24 direct care workers selected from around the country to participate in the inaugural class of Voices Institute in 2008 . I am very proud to be a graduate of the very 1st Voices Institute.
One of the many things that has stuck with me is when we talked about the most courageous acts of our lives. For me, it was joining Iowa Caregivers Association because it brought my passion back to direct care. I was getting burned out and was ready to leave the direct care field at the time, but the Iowa Caregivers Association has taught me to have voice to talk to other CNA’s about what is going on in the health care field. Continue reading »
The Direct Care Alliance had its annual board meeting in Orlando Florida April 26-28th. On the evening of the 26, the Florida Professional Association of Caregivers held a wonderful reception for the DCA board. We had a very good group together during this event. Members of the Florida Professional Association of Caregivers Board, and active members attended as well. We were also joined by Lisa Burck, Chair of the National Professional Alliance of Direct Support Professionals, and DCA staff and board members.
The Direct Care Alliance had a historical moment during this meeting. Both the Chair and Vice Chair positions were filled by direct care workers. Tracy Dudsinzki and I were pleased that we attracted numerous applicants from across the nation. I am proud to announce that additional direct care workers from a variety of work settings – home care, nursing homes and those providing supports to individuals living with development disabilities – have also joined our board. Continue reading »
The Department of Labor has responded to the demands of advocates and workers by taking an initial step toward addressing the critical issue that prevents millions of direct care workers today from being afforded minimum wage and overtime protections. The Direct Care Alliance has been a strong voice in advocating for this change within DOL, among legislators and with President Obama. With workers’ support, DCA has called for an update to the antiquated and unjust rules that exclude home care workers from basic legal protections that every workforce sector enjoys. Read our official statement.
Following the Supreme Court ruling against Evelyn Coke in 2007, DCA acted swiftly by launching the “Respect for Home Care Campaign.” Since then, our members and allies have joined us in writing hundreds of letters to public officials and educating them about the needs of this invaluable workforce. Shortly after the launch of this campaign, DCA joined with Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA) to spearhead a letter, signed by over forty Members of Congress, to DOL Secretary Hilda Solis urging her take the necessary steps to address this issue. In addition, fifteen U.S. Senators also joined us in calling on DOL to take such action. We have been fortunate to count thousands of workers and dozens of organizations as allies in this effort, notably the Elder Workforce Alliance, PHI and the National Employment Law Project. Read more about our efforts here. Continue reading »
Attending the American Society on Aging (ASA) and the National Council on Aging’s joint “Aging in America” conference this past week in Chicago reminded me why the Direct Care Alliance is so important to every direct care worker in this country. It was also clear to me and so many others that the Direct Care Alliance has come so far in just one year.
As a member of ASA’s New Ventures in Leadership (NVL) Class of 2010, my perspective as a direct care worker; as a founding member of the Direct Care Alliance; and a graduate of the Voices Institute gave me an advantage and a different perspective than the thousands of other attendees.
Discussions about the work of the DCA over this past year could be heard in the hallways and convention rooms throughout the conference. In special sessions, attendees marveled at some of the Voices Institute graduates and the work they are producing. I was personally acknowledged as a VI grad by my peers in the ASA’s NVL program, which was designed for emerging minority leaders in the field of aging. It was an honor to represent direct care workers and the Voices Institute in such a distinguished way. Continue reading »
This week we’re happy to present the newest Direct Care Alliance Policy Brief, courtesy of Candace Howes of Connecticut College. This brief, “The Best and Worst State Practices in Medicaid Long-Term Care“, explains why Medicaid policies lead to so much variation in current state Medicaid long-term care programs.
We also explore how those policies have been used in some states to expand the range and availability of services, drawing on lessons from innovative states to suggest reforms in national Medicaid policies that would make home- and community-based services more accessible. Candace has spoken out about wage and benefit increases for direct care workers; see her short video, below.
This is a guest post from Voices Institute graduate Angel Saylor.
Angel Saylor (right)
Over 200 Certified Nursing Assistants and their allies came together in Charlottesville, Virginia, on February 16 to share ideas on improving the workplace. The conference was hosted by the Community Partnership for Improved Long-term Care, an initiative of the Legal Aid Justice Center. It brought together direct care workers, elders, advocates, employers, doctors, nurses and others to:
• Exchange information and best practices;
• Recognize the challenges and celebrate the accomplishments of long-term care workers and caregivers from all settings;
• Learn how to enhance professionalism, leadership and teamwork, and offer solutions to reduce turnover; and
• Participate in skills training for caregivers to better meet the needs of disabled persons and seniors living with the challenges of aging. Continue reading »
