Archive for ‘Maine’

Talking to Senator Collins about the Companionship Exemption

Posted by on September 20th, 2011 at 12:37 am | 3 Comments »

A simple phone call can help educate your senator about the needs of direct care workers—and he or she may be more receptive than you might expect, as this report from Voices Institute graduate Ted Rippy demonstrates.

Senator Susan Collins of Maine

Senator Collins

Late last month, I had the opportunity to talk to Maine’s Senator Susan M. Collins about the Direct Care Job Quality Improvement Act. The conversation was very relaxed and took place over the phone. She was a very gracious lady, so talking to her just felt like talking to another human being.

Senator Collins asked why minimum wage and overtime protections weren’t already in place for home care workers. I explained that in 1974 the Fair Labor Standards Act companionship exemption was removed from domestic workers like chauffeurs, butlers, cooks, gardeners, maids, and nannies, but not from home care workers because, back then, home care was a simple thing, more like asking a neighbor to check in on Mom or Dad than the skilled profession it is today. Senator Collins responded by saying that home care aides have become more professional over the years. Continue reading »

Care, Commitment and Coffee with Jimmie Chandler of Maine!

Posted by on June 20th, 2011 at 4:45 pm | No Comments »

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

Supporters Advocate for Direct Care Workers in Maine House of Representatives

Posted by on April 11th, 2011 at 4:44 pm | 4 Comments »

This is a guest post by David Moreau. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said what you do will be insignificant.  But it is very important that you do it. 

David Moreau

I thought of that driving home from Augusta last Wednesday after taking a whole leave day off from work so that I could spend a long afternoon, first waiting and then testifying at the legislative hearing on LD 818, a bill to improve training and retention of direct care workers. 

I am a direct care worker.  The granite hallways of the state house crowded with suit-coated legislators and lobbyists were a shock to me.  All that bustling seemed overwhelming.  Everyone else seemed to know where they were going and what they were doing and it all seemed important. Continue reading »

Maine Bill Seeks to Improve Direct Care Jobs

Posted by on March 14th, 2011 at 8:41 pm | 2 Comments »
This is a guest post from Tammy Dawson, a Direct Support Professional from Bangor, Maine, a member of DCA – Maine.

If you are a Direct Care Worker in the State of Maine, odds are you are not aware of all of the opportunities available to you.  A bill sponsored by Matthew Peterson and heartily encouraged by our own Helen Hanson and Roy Gedat would change that!

LD 818: A resolve that directs the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor to develop and to provide information about professional and career development, training and related credentialing and certification to all professional direct care and personal support workers.

Maine PASA Hosts Regional Social on Nov. 13

Posted by on November 1st, 2010 at 1:41 pm | No Comments »

Join us for this brief social where workers can network with each other and get local support for their work. The program starts promptly at 10 am and runs until noon.

Members of Maine PASA’s Leadership Council will be there to update workers on all that is happening with the workforce. The Leadership Council wants to hear from workers about their jobs, what they feel needs improvement and what they want their leaders to work on.

If you’re a direct care worker in the Bangor area, please join us!

For more information and to RSVP, contact me at hhanson@directcarealliance.org.

Health Voucher Program Helps Mainers Afford Insurance

Posted by on October 12th, 2010 at 1:39 pm | No Comments »

A few weeks ago, Ted Rippy and I attended a press conference at the Muskie School of Public Service in Portland, ME. In attendance was Governor John E. Baldacci, who is endorsing the Dirigo health voucher program. He discussed the struggles of home health workers and how they have not been able to maintain health insurance for themselves or their families. We were also joined by Nancy-Ann DeParle, Director of the White House Office of Health Reform in Washington, DC.

Jimmie Chandler, Gov. Baldacci and Ted Rippy

DeParle recognized Maine’s leadership organizations for taking early steps in implementing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed into law on March 23, 2010. These efforts have made it possible for people who live in Maine to afford the medical insurance they desperately need – like Monique Kenyon and her husband Ed, who receives life-saving chemotherapy medical treatment, and John O’Boyle, who is receiving treatment for his high blood pressure. These good people stood and told their stories at the event.

Ted and I introduced ourselves to the Governor and DeParle, expressing the support of Maine PASA and the Direct Care Alliance for the Dirigo health voucher program for direct care workers in Maine. Continue reading »

Getting Empowered In Maine: Why You Should Support the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act

Posted by on September 20th, 2010 at 11:09 am | 1 Comment »

On September 9, members of Maine PASA met with representatives from  Senator Collins’ and Senator Snowe’s Bangor offices to discuss the joys, benefits – and yes, struggles – of direct care work.  The goal of our meeting was to gain their support for the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act and get both Senators to become cosponsors of the bill.

I was accompanied by DeeDee Strout, Jimmie Chandler and Helen Hanson, all direct care workers and members of the PASA Leadership Council.

Bangor Meeting

Ted Rippy (bottom left) addresses reps from office of Sens. Snowe & Collins

The meeting started off with Helen directly asking for the senators’ co-sponsorship and thanking them for their FMAP vote back in August. She gave a brief summary of the bill and explained that it will provide the same wage and overtime protections that other workforces have. Jimmie told the group that this bill is a place to start in ensuring that home care workers and direct care workers will be recognized as professionals, not companions. He also said that it was an important step in gaining recognition and respect for this workforce, explaining that training for home care workers, in many cases, is not adequate. Jimmie also mentioned that CNAs working in nursing homes, doing the same types of things with residents as home care workers do with their consumers, are covered under wage and overtime protections. Helen mentioned that 90% of the home care workforce are women.

DeeDee mentioned that oftentimes, a worker may stay over an additional 15 minutes or so, to finish the job. This is uncompensated and is on the workers’ own time. She stated that many agencies discourage their workers from overtime because the agencies’ reimbursement rates are so low.

I explained the difficult situation I’m facing along with several co-workers. We take care of a man that has MS and is now completely disabled. They are short one worker because this worker did not completely understand the job or the type of care this gentleman needs to remain home. It is putting an additional burden on us because we have to fill in the shift the worker left. This man wants to remain home and he wants to die there, and we are providing this man that opportunity. Continue reading »

Visiting Your Representatives Can Have a Big Impact

Posted by on August 9th, 2010 at 1:40 pm | No Comments »

I recently joined the Direct Care Alliance in Washington, DC, to advocate on behalf of direct care workers on Capitol Hill.

The congressional visits were to gain support for the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act, which was introduced in the House by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) and in the Senate by Bob Casey (D-PA).  These bills would change the classification of home care workers, removing the “companion” language from the Fair Labor Standards Act. It would ensure minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers; establish data collection and reporting requirements; and improve the recruitment and retention of direct care workers.

I met with Maine’s Congressional Delegation to inform my representatives about the need for the Direct Care Workforce Empowerment Act and ask for their support.  I visited with Senator Collins, Congresswoman Pingree, and Congressman Michaud. Both representatives had signed on to the Sanchez/DCA letter from last year, asking the Department of Labor to address the FLSA issue.  I thanked both for their support and for their health care reform votes.

It was so exciting to hear that both Reps. Pingree and Michaud became cosponsors of the bill.

Continue reading »

CNA Turned Local Politician: Direct Care Worker Runs for Office in Maine

Posted by on July 9th, 2010 at 3:44 pm | 4 Comments »

Helen Hanson Runs for Office

People know me as a direct care worker – a C.N.A. working as a personal care assistant in Maine’s home-based care system. But now I want to be known as an elected official. I am running for Maine’s House of Representatives from House District 55. That includes the towns of Albion, Benton (part), China and the unorganized territory of Unity Plantation.

I am running because I want to keep the work on streamlining Maine’s home-based care system moving forward. I am also running because I am a direct care worker who deals with the problems and pitfalls of our work each and every day.

I know what it is like to live off low wages, have no health benefits, have no safety net whatsoever, and support a family. I’m very thankful that my husband has a job that provides our health coverage, has a better wage than mine, and has paid overtime when he works over time. If my husband’s job did not provide those things, I would not be working as a PCA, providing essential care to a lady that is paralyzed and living in her home. I’d be just another of those horrible direct care workforce statistics, a skilled worker who had to leave because she could not make it on her low wages.

How did I get involved in politics, you ask? I trace it back to the Direct Care Alliance, a wonderful national organization that is working hard improve working conditions for direct care workers. Continue reading »

Mourning & Celebrating a Direct Care Champion: Our Memories of Joyce Gagnon

Posted by on June 28th, 2010 at 12:21 pm | 5 Comments »

It is with a sad heart that we write these words about Joyce Gagnon, a founder of the Maine Personal Assistance Services Association and one of the most tireless and committed direct care leaders we’ve ever known. Joyce passed away on June 14, 2010, after a long bout with cancer.

Joyce was a strong and tenacious advocate for direct care workers in Maine. She worked tirelessly building the Maine Personal Assistance Services Association (PASA), Maine’s association for direct care workers of all kinds. Joyce worked on PASA’s annual conventions, lobbying at the State House, PASA’s fundraising and membership recruitment. Her hard work and sacrifice made it possible for DCA to develop a powerful model for state-based worker associations and worker-led advocacy.

Just this past year, Joyce was an active member of the Direct Care Worker Taskforce, a group set up through Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services to address many of the problems the workforce faces.

Joyce also had and hand in crafting legislation, twice, trying to bring health insurance to Maine’s direct care workers. She met and talked with many leaders in the Maine Legislature about what it is like to be a caregiver, helping someone maintain their independence in their home, and not have health coverage themselves through their work. Continue reading »

« Older Entries