PHInational.org » Virginia

VA DCW Association Celebrates 11th Birthday

Aaron Toleos — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:56:15 +0000

There were no speakers and no breakout groups — just a fun time for all on a beautiful, sunny day at our June 14 celebration of the founding of the Virginia Association of Professional Nursing Assistants. The pictures are of our the board of directors — and our birthday cake.

Seeing all those direct-care workers in the same room at the same time was just what the doctor ordered, and it was a sight to behold.

While soaking in the smooth sounds of jazz by Paul Hardcastle, we enjoyed body massages, belly dancing exercises, games, cosmetic makeovers, and lots of good food.

On the serious side, we received a proclamation from the City of Hampton recognizing National Nursing Assistants Week.

Lorrene Maynard, CNA
Executive Director, VAPNA
professionalcna@hotmail.com

Virginians Honor Direct Support Professionals

Aaron Toleos — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:44:37 +0000

David Broder sent us this report earlier this week.

This Monday, the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC) hosted a reception in Fairfax, Virginia, to honor Direct Support Professionals Appreciation Week. It was wonderful to see direct support professionals be honored for the important work they do – and even more wonderful to see them come together and talk about the improvements they need to see in order to stay in these jobs.

The reception drew a large crowd of direct support professionals and those who use their services – probably about a hundred people. Volunteers, most of whom were people who rely on personal support services, gave flowers to all the direct support professionals there. This was an opportunity to pause and give thanks to people who work really hard, and you could see on people’s faces that they appreciated the support.

Julianna Arslanian, a home care worker and a member of the Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants, received a proclamation on behalf of all DSPs from Gerry Connolly, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (see photo). “I love this work,” she said. “All of us here today do. And we appreciate your recognition and your support. When we work together – policy makers and direct support professionals – we can make this work a little better so that we can continue to provide quality care to the seniors and people with disabilities who need it.”

Other speakers included Connolly, the chair of the LTCCC, and the assistant deputy secretary of Health and Human Resources for the state of Virginia.

David Broder, State Director, Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants
dbroder@virginiapca.org

Virginia Advocates Call for Better PCA Pay

Aaron Toleos — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:26:54 +0000

Virginia’s media have been covering the need for better direct-care wages more than usual lately, mostly because of a proposed budget amendment that would increase wages for personal care attendants (PCAs) by 10 percent.

At hearings across the state last week, PCAs and the people they assist testified in favor of the amendment – and their testimony made it into many print and electronic news stories. “We had great turnout at the budget hearings,” State Director David Broder of the Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants told Quality Care/Quality Jobs. “All told, over 100 PCAs and their consumers attended 5 hearings across the state.”

Coverage included:

A January 9 story in Southwest Virginia Today
A January 4 feature in the Bristol Herald Courier
A January 4 story in the Lynchburg News and Advance