The Health Care Delivery System: A Blueprint for Reform, published last month by the Center for American Progress and the Institute on Medicine as a Profession, identifies key characteristics of a high-performing health system.
Specifically, the 124-page book lays out a vision for restructuring the organization, quality, and financing of the health care system, proposing policies for the next administration and Congress to enact over the next five years.
PHI supports the recommendations for improving the nation’s direct-care workforce, especially providing direct-care workers with higher wages and better benefits.
The report also calls for leveraging the Workforce Investment Act to build the long-term care workforce. This would direct federal funding to programs that provide direct-care workers with high-quality training, employment-support and retention services.
The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) is a federal program designed to meet the job placement and training needs of displaced and hard-to-employ workers. The Center for American Progress report recommends revising the act to set aside funds specifically for the long-term care workforce.
Regardless of any new legislation on the horizon, discussion of the WIA is a reminder that there are available workforce development resources that long-term care employers may not be aware of, says Stu Schneider, PHI’s Workforce Development Specialist.
Long-term care employers that are finding it difficult to recruit workers may benefit from services provided by their local One Stop Center, says Schneider. The centers receive federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds, in part, to refer job-seekers to employers. The One Stop Centers can also post open positions, assess the suitability of job seekers for an available position, and help current employees to prepare for a promotion or career advancement.
“Employers might benefit more from these services than from working to obtain Workforce Investment Act funding directly, says Schneider, “since these extremely-limited resources are often allocated to programs that help individuals obtain jobs that pay significantly more than most direct-care positions, as well as provide full-time hours.”
I agree that with the Baby Boomers becoming our Senior each day the demand of Direct Care Workers are going to become greater. I always say “I am a Certified Nursing Assistant by choice”. My love for caring, is going into Ms. Jones room and making her day by doing something she is having a hard time or cant’ do. But does that mean I deserve 10% of pay when I am providing 90% of the care? Does this mean I shouldn’t be allow to futher my education as an Certified Nursing Assitant. Because their are so many other position for an CNA at a long term facility. Should I at least be allow to afford health insurance for my family. Yes I am a CNA! that the career I choose in my life. I enjoy it! It forfills my heart at the end of each day. So lets do what needs to be done to help bring Georgia Nursing Violation Numbers down, fill the vacancies of Direct Care Worker across the United States. Give all Direct Care Worker the education, and the pay to do whats in their heart to do, by providing a service to the community and affording dinner for their families.
Jennifer Hines, CNA, AD, Chairperson
Certified Nursing Assistant on the Move