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Evelyn Coke Memorialized in Newsday Op-Ed

PHI — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:37:36 +0000

Evelyn Coke

An op-ed (pdf) co-written by PHI President Steven Dawson and published in the July 22 Newsday pays tribute to the “American heroine” Evelyn Coke.

The full article, by Dawson and Direct Care Alliance executive director Leonila Vega, can be found below or at the Newsday website.

Coke, a home care worker who died last July, fought the Fair Labor Standards Act’s “companionship exemption.” The exemption prevents home care workers from enjoying the basic employment protections afforded to most working Americans.

PHI has launched a campaign calling for an end to the companionship exemption.

Support the campaign on Facebook. Find more information at the PHI PolicyWorks website, or by watching PHI’s video, Fair Pay for Caregivers: A Tribute to Evelyn Coke.

Companions need a helping hand

Too many home health care workers are still subjected to unfair labor practices

By Steven Dawson and Leonila Vega

A year ago this month, an American heroine passed away. Her name was Evelyn Coke. She wasn’t well-known, but hopefully someday Coke will be remembered for battling unfair labor practices.

Evelyn Coke was a resident of Queens who worked for an East Meadow-based home-care agency. She was among the 2 million workers — many immigrants like herself — who assist elders and people with disabilities with daily activities such as getting in and out of bed, dressing and undressing, cooking and eating, toileting and bathing. As we age, many of us will need this support to remain independent, living in our homes and communities with our families and friends.

Like many of her co-workers, Coke worked long hours for little pay. Though she sometimes cared for her clients more than 70 hours a week, she claimed to have earned less than minimum wage (which was $5.15 per hour in 2002). Despite sometimes working three 24-hour shifts in a row, she never received time and a half for overtime.

Forced to retire after an auto accident, Coke believed that she had been treated unfairly, and sued her employer for back wages. Her case went all the way to the Supreme Court. But unfortunately, Coke lost.

In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Department of Labor regulations excluding home care workers from the labor protections provided by the Fair Labor Standards Act were valid and binding. That is, the Labor Department could continue to treat home-care workers as informal “companions” — that is to say, baby-sitters.

The U.S. Supreme Court also ruled that the secretary of labor had broad policy-making authority over the scope of “companionship” and could change the current interpretation at any time.

It is past time to make that change.

While New York State just passed a landmark Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, the legislation states that “domestic worker” does not include any individual who is engaged in providing “companionship services” as currently defined by the regulations for the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, or domestic workers who are employed by agencies. So thousands of direct-care workers in New York fall outside of its protections.

Home care is one of America’s fastest-growing occupations. Far from casual companions, these workers play a critical role in our health care system, not only helping their clients live at home, but providing essential supports that keep them out of costly hospitals and nursing facilities. As we move forward with implementing health reform, home care workers can play a crucial role in coordinated care models and in care transitions — important changes that can improve care and save money. We should recognize their contribution by treating them like the professionals they are.

Evelyn Coke had the courage to speak up for herself and her co-workers. She had faith in the American system of justice, believing that even she, an immigrant who never earned more than minimum wage, could ask to be treated fairly. It’s unfortunate that she didn’t live to see justice done.

But there’s new hope for her battle for justice now that the Department of Labor has announced it is studying the companionship exemption.

Before the Labor Department’s announcement, several members of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives had requested that the department fix this injustice. Within the next few weeks, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) is planning to introduce legislation that would put an end to the home care workers exemption.

In honor of Coke and the millions of home care workers nationwide, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis should immediately provide all home care workers with the minimum wage and overtime protections promised to American workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

We cannot tolerate this injustice any longer.

PHI and the Eden Alternative Partner

PHI — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:48:31 +0000

PHI and the Eden Alternative have formed an official alliance that will bring the PHI Coaching Approach^SM to the international community of Eden enthusiasts.

The new Eden and PHI partnership was announced at the 5th International Eden Alternative Conference in Denver, Colorado, in June.

“The Eden Alternative and PHI are leaders in the culture change movement and share a common mission to improve the lives of people who need care and those who care for them,” said Chris Perna, CEO of the Eden Alternative.

“This is a natural opportunity for two organizations with similar values to partner together to serve our common constituencies. The Eden Alternative team is very excited about the potential impact of this powerful partnership on the culture change movement.”

The Conference

PHI led breakout sessions on the PHI Coaching Approach^SM to give participants the opportunity to learn how the PHI skills-based approach benefits the culture change process.

The participants’ level of interest and excitement in the coaching skills was high, as they recognized the relevance of the information to the culture transformation process.

The Path to Mastery and the PHI Approach

PHI Coaching and problem-solving have also been included as resources in the Path to Mastery^TM, the Eden Alternative’s recently unveiled culture change guide. The Path to Mastery articulates a framework and process for culture change based on the Eden principles.

The Eden Alternative philosophy promotes an empowered, relationship-rich environment that is capable of overcoming the traditional, medically driven nursing home care, which often results in the plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom.

The Eden/PHI Coaching Curriculum

An Eden version of the PHI Coaching Approach^SM Curriculum will be released later this summer. The curriculum will include the use of language specific to the Eden philosophy and will provide the critical communication skills that are necessary to create the strong, consistent, and productive relationships that underlie successful culture transformation.

The new curriculum is based on the PHI Coaching Approach^{SM which provides the core skills necessary to support the act of empowerment and the development of significant relationships.}

The core skills include:

Active listening

Self reflection/self management

Clear non-judgmental communication

Collaborative problem solving

Participative leadership

The culture of an organization is created one conversation at a time; and in order to create a healthy culture of mutual respect and empowerment, people need fundamental coaching and communication skills. We aren’t born with these skills — we need to be taught.

The PHI Coaching Approach^SM brings these skills to the culture transformation process.

– by Cean Eppelheimer, PHI Michigan Training & Organizational Development Specialist

PHI Profiles “Best Practices” in Long-Term Care

PHI — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:24:12 +0000

A CNA assists a resident at Genesis HealthCare

For employers seeking to improve quality of care by improving the quality of direct-care jobs, PHI has created a new resource at its website: profiles of “best practices” employed in nursing homes and home and community-based settings.

The practices featured in the profiles — which are based on care organizations throughout the country — exemplify PHI’s “quality care through quality jobs” philosophy. For most of the organizations, the improved job quality can be directly linked to higher recruitment and retention among direct-care staff.

“We’ve identified organizations that value their frontline workers; we feature the important elements of the practice, measurable outcomes, and lessons learned,” said PHI Director of Evaluation Marcia Mayfield.

Examples of Best Practices

Some of the best practices profiled by PHI are:

Providence Mount St. Vincent — The Mount, as its residents and employees call it, uses a person-centered approach to care, giving its direct-care staff more autonomy. Consequently, workers report higher job satisfaction, and the Mount’s turnover rates are notably low.

Genesis HealthCare — This long-term care provider, which maintains a network of more than 200 facilities in 13 states, gives certified nursing assistants (CNAs) the ability to advance their careers by becoming Geriatric Nursing Assistant Specialists. CNAs must undergo a 10-week training before earning their promotion, which includes a wage increase and increased responsibilities.

Cooperative Home Care Associates — CHCA, a PHI partner organization, uses an integrated training model to ensure high-quality care. Applicants to CHCA first undergo rigorous assessment before being accepted into the pre-employment training program. Graduates of the initial 4-weeks of training receive a bevy of post-employment training and supports, such as peer mentoring and case management support. The program ensures that CHCA’s home care aides are well-positioned to succeed in their roles as caregivers.

PHI will publish 20 best practice profiles and several multimedia case studies of particularly innovative care facilities throughout the year. The best practices and case studies are made possible with support from the Hitachi Foundation.

– by Matthew Ozga

PHI and DCA Partnership Strengthened

PHI — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:24:35 +0000

PHI and the Direct Care Alliance (DCA) have renewed their commitment to collaborate more closely to achieve their common goal to improve the quality of eldercare and disability services by improving the quality of direct-care jobs.

The national nonprofit organizations’ advocacy efforts complement one another: PHI’s advocacy efforts are rooted in its policy research and its work with a network of affiliated service providers, while the DCA’s are grassroots-based and worker-led.

The groups plan to strengthen the coordination of their advocacy actions to improve direct-care workers’ wages, health care benefits, training, and career advancement opportunities.

“PHI is proud to have been the original sponsor of the Direct Care Alliance — I have always believed that direct-care workers should be ‘at the table’ in any discussions about quality care and quality jobs,” said PHI President Steven Dawson. “There is still so much work to do, but with the DCA and PHI working hard, together, there is nothing that can stop us.”

“The Direct Care Alliance and PHI serve vital roles in advocating for improvements to the direct care profession, including DCA’s grassroots, worker-led advocacy and PHI’s policy/research-based advocacy,” said DCA Executive Director Leonila Vega. “I’m proud of our achievements thus far and look forward to our ongoing collaboration.”

Both organizations have been working side-by-side to wage a campaign to extend protections to home care workers that are afforded by the Fair Labor Standards Act, and were heartened by the recent news that the Department of Labor will review the FLSA companionship exemption this fall.

Future Projects Planned

With the passage of nationwide health care reform, PHI and DCA see new opportunities unfolding that will benefit all direct-care workers and the elders and people with disabilities whom they serve.

The organizations plan to work together to help ensure broader health coverage of health care workers and shape the CLASS Act, the historic new social insurance model for long-term care services.

Dawson and Vega are both founding members of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, a group of 28 national organizations, joined together to address the immediate and future workforce crisis in caring for an aging America.

– by Deane Beebe

Resources Support Training and Organizational Development

PHI — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:36:29 +0000

Screenshot of TOD website

The PHI Training and Organizational Development (TOD) team has offered home- and residential-based providers services to manage change and create dynamic relationship-centered organizations for years.

Now many of these tools and services can be found online at the Training and Organizational Development website. The website features PHI’s curricula, as well as a host of new resources, recently developed and made available online.

These new resources include:

A collection of Best Practice profiles, which detail innovative practices in the field;

Tools that support the implementation of Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign workforce goals; and

Information, publications, and examples to help employers develop apprenticeship programs recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor.

TOD Newsletter

The website is complemented by a monthly newsletter from the PHI team, which offers stories on how the coaching approach is being used in residential and home and community-based organizations, information on upcoming events and trainings, coaching tips, and inspiration.

Stay in touch with the PHI team by subscribing to the free monthly newsletter, and check out the training blog for any stories you may have missed.

– by Hadas Thier

NCCNHR Seeking Proposals

PHI — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:34:36 +0000

The deadline to submit proposals for the 35th NCCNHR Annual Meeting and Conference is April 30 at 5:00 p.m.

NCCNHR is seeking submissions from a broad spectrum of long-term care stakeholders, including citizen advocates, resident and family councils, ombudsmen, and researchers.

Topics of particular interest are advocacy for individual residents as well as effective systemic advocacy and educational programs for the long-term care continuum, including nursing homes, assisted living, and home- and community-based services.

More information about NCCNHR’s October 2010 event (including an RFP) is available on NCCNHR’s website (pdf).

Formerly the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, NCCNHR is a national nonprofit organization of consumers and advocates who define and achieve quality for people with long-term care needs.

– by Deane Beebe

Campaign Launched to Extend Labor Protections to Home Care Workers

PHI — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:03:02 +0000

PHI has launched a social media campaign calling on Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis to end the exclusion of home care workers from minimum wage and overtime protections.

Since 1975, the DOL has equated home care workers with “casual babysitters” and excluded them from basic labor protections granted to most other American workers through the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This exclusion is also known as the “companionship exemption.”

A 2007 Supreme Court ruling (Long Island Care at Home v. Evelyn Coke) reinforced the Labor Department’s authority over the exclusion, including its ability to reverse it at any time.

“It’s clear that Secretary Solis has the power to change this outdated regulation, and we are urging her to do so now,” said Steve Edelstein, PHI national policy director. “Our country needs these workers, and these workers deserve these basic protections.”

Professional home care workers make up one of the fastest-growing workforces in the country, providing essential services and supports to millions of Americans who otherwise could not live independently. PHI argues that extending wage and overtime protections to home care workers is not only the fair thing to do, it would also help professionalize the workforce at a time when its services are needed more than ever.

PHI’s campaign homepage has more information, including instructions about how you can make your voice heard on this issue using Facebook, Twitter, and other media.

– by Aaron Toleos, PHI Online Communications Director

PHI Gets Connected

Aaron Toleos — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:40:39 +0000

In an effort to extend its reach and further disseminate the “Quality Care through Quality Jobs” message, PHI has established a broad presence in social media.

Social media users who connect with PHI will not only be able to access direct-care worker news, but soon users will also be able to access additional content and opportunities to get involved.

PHI’s social media sites can be found at:

FACEBOOK — Become a fan of PHI

TWITTER — Follow PHI and get your direct-care news as tweets

YOUTUBE — New videos are uploaded regularly

FLICKR — Access PHI-authored charts and graphs

iPhone — Search for “PHI News” to find our app

PHI will be launching a social media campaign on a specific topic beginning the week of March 22.

Connect with PHI today to be prepared to participate.

– by Aaron Toleos, PHI Online Communications Director

Help for Haiti

PHI — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:54:42 +0000

In the wake of Haiti’s recent and devastating earthquake, each of us is asking, “What is the best way to help?”

PHI recommends sending contributions to Partners in Health, a well-established, Boston-based nonprofit organization that brings modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries, including Haiti. Partners in Health is known for its pioneering use of community health workers to improve the health of people with chronic illnesses.

Partners in Health has been working in Haiti for over 20 years. Since the earthquake, they have helped to organize 20 operating rooms throughout the country to treat the injured. Twelve medical facilities that they developed in two regions outside the city before the earthquake hit are now being used to care for people injured in Port-au-Prince. The organization is also working with Haitian health officials to restore services in this capital’s largest hospital.

Partners in Health is in great need of financial support. Please consider donating at pih.org.

Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti, including the Haitians who live in the United States — many of whom care for our elders and people with disabilities in need of long-term services and supports.

Nation’s Training Demand Spurs New PHI Department

PHI — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:06:50 +0000

Peggy Powell, National Director, PHI Curriculum & Workforce Development Department

PHI has made changes in its executive and program leadership teams and created a Curriculum & Workforce Development Department to help meet the national need for a larger, better trained, and more stable direct-care workforce.

Curriculum & Workforce Development Department

“We created the new Curriculum & Workforce Development Department in direct response to the increased demand for PHI’s expertise in designing employer-based training programs, creating adult learner-centered curricula for direct-care staff, and training trainers,” said PHI President Steven Dawson.

“The projected increase in the direct-care workforce nationwide — more than 1 million net additional staff over the next decade — will require a major expansion of training capacity in this country.

“Yet the workforce crisis behind the direct-care workforce crisis is that the eldercare/disability service sector is wholly unprepared to provide quality training to so many new workers. The charge of our new Curriculum & Workforce Development Department is to develop additional curricula and training tools to help the sector meet this nationwide training challenge,” said Dawson.

New Department’s Leader Chosen

The new department is headed up by PHI Founding Member Peggy Powell, who has most recently served as the organization’s director of workforce strategies.

“As our nation moves toward reforming health care delivery and financing,” said Powell, “creating a higher quality job for direct-care workers through improved training standards and opportunities for career advancement is key to meeting the growing demand for eldercare and disability services.”

Powell is a longtime leader in workforce development who has spearheaded many of PHI’s training development initiatives, including entry-level, peer mentoring, and senior aide programs.

“It’s exciting that PHI is well-positioned to continue our work with the community of long-term care and workforce development stakeholders committed to building a well-trained, compassionate, and stable direct-care workforce,” said Powell.

Additional Leadership Changes

PHI has made additional changes to strengthen its leadership team:

COO/CFO Jodi Sturgeon is serving as PHI Vice President.

Sara Joffe has been promoted to the PHI Executive Team where she has taken on the new role of Organizational and Executive Coach. Joffe, who previously directed PHI Training & Organizational Development Services, brings her expertise in coaching, team building, and leadership development to PHI and its affiliated health care agencies.

Susan Misiorski succeeds Joffe as national director of Training & Organizational Development Services. Misiorski, who was trained as a certified nursing assistant prior to becoming a registered nurse, is an expert in organizational culture change and has directed this initiative for PHI. Ms. Misiorski is also a founding member of the Pioneer Network and was recently re-elected to serve on its board for another term.