Archive for ‘job creation’

How to Put More Jobs in the American Jobs Act

Posted by on September 26th, 2011 at 10:51 pm | 1 Comment »

American Jobs Act logo with white space to rightRania Antonopoulos is a senior scholar and director of the Gender Equality and the Economy program at the Levy Institute. She wrote this post with the assistance of her colleague Michael Stephens, senior editor at the Levy Economics Institute.

President Obama’s recently proposed American Jobs Act would put people to work building and repairing the nation’s roads, bridges, and schools. This is all laudable, if fairly inadequate ($50 billion for transportation infrastructure and half that for school infrastructure) given both the extent of our dilapidated infrastructure and the size of the employment hole. But a job creation idea you won’t find in the AJA would produce double the employment boost of those physical infrastructure projects. If we invest in putting people to work delivering social care services—shoring up our crumbling social infrastructure by adding jobs in professions like direct care—we can begin to crawl our way back to full employment, while providing vitally needed services and doing more to help those who are least able to weather the current non-recovery recovery.  Continue reading »

Care, Commitment and Coffee with Muhanna S. Kakish of Minnesota

Posted by on July 12th, 2011 at 7:04 pm | No Comments »

At the 2011 Voices Institute Leadership Training, DCA communications director, Josh Sabato sat down to speak with direct care worker, Muhanna S. Kakish to discuss the most pressing issues facing direct care workers and how other activists can get involved in direct care advocacy in Minnesota.  DCA Speaks with Muhanna S. Kakish at 2011 Voices Institute Training.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor: Fierce Health Care Activist

Posted by on March 29th, 2011 at 9:11 am | No Comments »

Elizabeth Taylor is remembered for amazing feats of womanhood, leadership and beauty.  Her $1 million salary for the 1963 movie Cleopatra, made her a pioneer for future actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger and Julia Roberts who today, command ten to fifteen times that amount.  Elizabeth Taylor’s extraordinary talents transcended the big screen by sharing with the public her prodigious sex appeal, and daring to scandalize moral expectations for women in her time by choosing whom to marry and when.  Elizabeth developed a women’s perfume empire, that at the time of her death, had made over 200 million dollars in profit.

More impressive than these achievements, was Dame Elizabeth Taylor’s enduring contribution as a fierce health care advocate.  At a time when friends close to her were dying and America was either ignorant, ashamed or prejudiced toward individuals suffering from HIV or AIDS, she lifted the veil and brought the entire country together to pay attention while she demonstrated compassion, enlightenment, and generosity to those affected by HIV. Taylor testified, gave speeches and set up a research foundation.   Ms. Taylor’s compassion and love drove her to channel her prodigious energies into educating the country on issues related to HIV.  She will always be remembered for that, and thankfully her contribution lives on through her charitable work and foundation (AMFAR).

Continue reading »

President Obama Addresses Key DCA Issues in State of the Union

Posted by on February 1st, 2011 at 9:56 am | No Comments »

Leonila Vega

In his State of the Union address last Tuesday, President Obama touched on two key issues for the Direct Care Alliance: rebuilding the economy and improving care. I commend him for his leadership and efforts on both these fronts and we are working with our grassroots network, allies and policymakers to demonstrate the key role that direct care workers can play in achieving these goals in 2011 and beyond.

Despite declaring job creation as his top priority for 2010, there is still much work to be done. Unemployment rates are still well over 9% and there is no question the slow economic recovery has taken a toll on most communities. There’s a lot that the Administration can do to help create jobs but very little would do more to strengthen our communities than investments in direct care jobs. Currently, more than 13 million Americans depend on the care and support of direct care workers every day. Direct care jobs:

  • Are non-exportable.
  • Are in high demand, and projected to be one of the fastest growing jobs over the next decade.
  • Support the autonomy, dignity and well-being of individuals with long-term care needs.
  • Eliminate a loss in economic productivity by people who miss work due to the lack of availability of long-term supports and services.

Continue reading »

Prescription For Growth: Health Care & Job Creation

Posted by on September 16th, 2010 at 12:03 pm | No Comments »

9/16/10 – The National Journal hosted a policy summit at the Newseum in Washington, DC, to discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act (health care reform) on job growth in the health care industry. Nancy-Ann Deparle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform, spoke to the group about why health reform was necessary and described the great need for job creation in the industry.  As one of the fastest growing occupations in the country, direct care is a vital part of the national discussion on health reform and the creation of jobs in the health industry.  Watch video coverage of the summit, below.

Panelists Ellen-Marie Whelan (Center for American Progress) and Dr. Richard “Chip” Davis (Johns Hopkins Medicine) both spoke to the growing consumer demand for in-home health care. Continue reading »

Arizona Direct Care Workers Prepare to Meet Baby Boomer Demand

Posted by on June 10th, 2010 at 9:27 am | No Comments »

Judy Clinco

A recent article in the Arizona Republic calls attention to the rising demand for direct care services in Arizona.  With an additional 1.1 million direct care workers needed across the U.S. in the next ten years, it is more important than ever that our workforce is equipped to meet the challenge.  From the article:

Despite all our political differences, there is a universally shared human hope. No matter your race, ethnic background, religion, gender or sexual orientation, everybody wants a sense of self-determination in old age. But as 77 million Baby Boomers move into their golden years, there is a shortage of direct-care workers who can help them retain a sense of independence.

That’s one big problem. For [Direct Care Alliance board member] Judy Clinco, solving it also involves addressing the parallel human need to fill one’s younger years with meaningful work. Let’s start with the challenges of old age. The ability of Boomers to continue to do their own thing will depend largely on the availability of direct-care workers. These workers provide 80 percent of paid, hands-on services for the elderly in their own homes, in assisted-living settings, nursing homes, hospices and hospitals. These workers are in short supply – and that’s nothing new. 10 years ago, [Ms. Clinco] created the CareGiver Training Institute to build a workforce.  This month, the non-profit will graduate its 1,000th student.

Read the rest of the article here.

Join the DCA in Answering the President’s Call to Action

Posted by on February 1st, 2010 at 7:28 pm | 1 Comment »

President Obama

In his State of the Union Address last Tuesday, President Obama reiterated that his Administration’s #1 priority is to create more jobs and get our economy back on track. He also challenged Congress: “Don’t walk away from health care reform.”

The DCA applauds the President’s call to action. With more than a quarter of all direct care workers lacking health insurance, making quality health care affordable for all Americans remains our top priority. We’re also working to get direct care on the job creation agenda, so some of that funding will go to improve the quality of direct care jobs, ensuring that we can satisfy consumer demand for a stable, well-qualified workforce.

Direct care jobs are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations in the USA over the next decade. That means our nation is facing a crucial choice. We can continue to tolerate low-paying, poor-quality jobs that swell the ranks of the working poor and lead to poor care. Or we can invest in the direct care workforce. Continue reading »

Pennsylvania Provider Urges Displaces Workers to Consider Direct Care

Posted by on January 15th, 2010 at 1:27 pm | No Comments »

Lori Michael

In another call for putting direct care on the nation’s job creation agenda, a Pennsylvania home care provider appealed to laid-off workers in a January 12 editorial in the Pottsville, Pennsylvania Republican Herald.

Lori Michael, the founder and chair of the Schuylkill County Direct Care Workers Association and owner of Lori’s Angels, a home care agency, urges displaced workers with “patience and understanding” to consider a career in direct care.

Michael describes direct care as “recession-proof” work that can last a lifetime and allow you to “really make a difference in the life of another person.” She also notes that it is one of the fastest-growing job categories in the nation, “playing a vital role in job creation and economic growth.”

DCA Aims to Put Direct Care on National Job Creation Agenda

Posted by on December 30th, 2009 at 10:41 pm | No Comments »

Leonila Vega

The end of 2009 has brought us close to the end of the long legislative battle over health care reform. Looking ahead, we expect job creation to be at the top of Congress’ list of priorities in 2010.

That’s why the DCA is working with a coalition of more than 50 national groups and nearly 100 local and state organizations called Jobs for America Now.

Part of the coalition’s five-point plan for getting America back to work is to “directly create jobs that put people to work helping communities’ meet pressing needs,” and few needs are more pressing than the growing demand for high-quality long-term care services.

Continue reading »