HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

The Washington Post has published a letter to the editor from Kathleen Sebelius in which the Secretary of Health and Human Services describes direct-care workers as “the backbone of our long-term care system” and the need for quality care through improved caregiving jobs as “critically important to our nation.”

The letter was a response to a May 10 Washington Post Magazine feature on home care and references the recently completed National Nursing Assistant Survey.

Here is an excerpt of Sebelius’ letter:

“The Department of Health and Human Services is deeply concerned about the needs of long-term care workers and maintaining an adequate and high-quality workforce. To this end, we are wrapping up the first national survey of home health aides (like Ms. Daniel) and recently completed one on nursing assistants. It is our goal to improve the attractiveness of caregiving jobs and reduce worker turnover. Ultimately, this will result in improvements in the quality of life and care of disabled and older Americans. This is critically important for our nation, given that $232 billion is spent on long-term care annually and families all over the country are facing the difficult challenge of providing and finding the best care for their loved ones.”

Such a public and clearly worded statement from the secretary suggests that HHS has plans to actively take up the issue of eldercare / disability reform and is a welcome signal to advocates on this issue.

According to PHI President Steven Dawson, “Sebelius’ letter affirms her commitment to quality care through quality jobs. She firmly states that we need to improve the quality of jobs to reduce turnover and ensure quality care for America’s families.”