Randy Albelda
Economist Randy Albelda recently made the case in the Boston Globe that caring for those who cannot care for themselves is part of the foundation of a civil society.
Investing in health care, said Albelda, is as vital to our long-term economic health as airports, highways, wind turbines, and energy-retrofitted buildings – the things specifically mentioned in Barack Obama’s stimulus plan. What is missing from the President-Elect’s plan, says the senior fellow at the Center for Social Policy at University of Massachusetts in Boston, is women.
“Jobs in construction and many of those that come with green investment often pay decent wages with benefits. But they are overwhelmingly held by men,” she says in the Globe piece, “The Macho Stimulus Plan.”
Seeing connections between Albelda’s opinion piece and the recently released PHI issue brief urging investment in the direct-care workforce to boost the economy (pdf), we decided to give her a call to hear more about her ideas.
Three reasons to invest in direct care jobs
When we caught up with Albelda, she explained that investing in things like direct care, education, and health care does three things: It stimulates the economy, generates goods and services the country needs, and reduces inequality.
White male leaders are stuck in the idea of the New Deal of the 1930s, said Albelda, when many people were excluded from helpful government programs. Investment in health care jobs would go a long way in alleviating poverty, she said, since many of these jobs are held by low-income women.
“It would be a relatively quick thing to do and would provide immediate employment,” she said. The economic stimulus needs to both inspire confidence and put money in people’s pockets, so they start to make purchases, she said. “You could pay people to dig holes. But we really need to produce something over time that is a service we don’t have.”
Direct-care is a much needed service—-and demand is growing rapidly. By investing in the workforce today, America will be better prepared to care for elders and people with disabilities over the next several decades.
Advocating for government attention
Albelda doesn’t think it is going to be easy to convince the new administration to invest in the caregiving economy. “I think it’s going to take different groups, making different claims and trying to get this argument out there,” she said. “It will take a political movement for them to recognize that this care is worth investing in. It’s going to take a lot of different people to make them take notice.”
What do you think? Share your comments below.
Thank you for articulating this very powerful argument that we all need to be making – repeatedly – every time we talk with decision-makers in government. Clearly, if money is going to be invested in job creation caregiving is an area that needs investments, not cuts. I have had the opportunity to pass on this message to both Oregon and Washington state influencers; it’s an argument everyone with a stake in direct care needs to make at every possible opportunity.
Not only people in direct care but every American should be voicing this concern because you never know if you or a family member or friend will need care. We as a country have to start putting people first instead of putting things first.
Can you tell me if there are any certification courses available in the Frederick County/Winchester, VA area, either now or in the near future? I am asking this for a friend who is a CNA in a local assisted living facility. Thanks!