ISSUES
DCA Activities
The DCA sponsors four major activities:
Cross-Stakeholder Dialogue
The DCA is an unprecedented forum, in which consumers, workers, and concerned providers are coming together to educate one another about workforce issues. Some of these groups-for example, workforce development and healthcare advocacy organizations-have rarely been part of the same conversation. Others-e.g., nursing homes, home care companies, unions and consumers-have often been adversarial. Recognizing that improving job quality produces better care and benefits all stakeholders, these groups are working for change together.
Public Education
Through public education, the DCA is creating a broad constituency that recognizes the true value of paid caregivers' work. The DCA's public education efforts focus on bringing the real direct-care story-of millions of consumers and workers-to policymakers and the public at large.
Over 70 % of care in nursing homes and at home is paid for by public funds. The DCA supports state and federal initiatives that will make better use of these funds to support frontline caregiving, including the improvement of direct-care jobs. Current proposals include higher training standards and wage pass-throughs at the state level. We also recommend that providers be required to disclose to consumers workforce indicators such as compensation, training, and turnover levels.
As part of its effort to shape federal policy, the DCA is encouraging federal agencies (e.g., Labor, Health, and Human Services) to review policies and programs that affect direct-care workers. The DCA has already established a relationship with the executive staff of the Health Care Financing Authority (HCFA), which, on the DCA's recommendation, has appointed a high-level staff person to coordinate work on all HCFA activities that affect direct-care workers.
National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce
In cooperation with the DCA, PHI has established a national clearinghouse to collect, analyze, and disseminate information about workforce issues in the long-term care. The clearinghouse has available:
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Examples of provider best practices in residential facilities and home-based care;
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Reports, studies, and other analyses;
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Articles from the trade press, academia, and general media;
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Materials from government agencies, interest groups, and trade associations;
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Examples of advocacy best practices; and
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Federal and state laws, regulations, and state policies.
How to Get Involved
If you or your organization would like to become part of this growing alliance, contact:
The Direct Care Alliance
c/o The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
349 E. 149th St., 10th Floor
Bronx, New York 10451
718.402.7766 (phone)
718.585.6852 (fax)
info@directcarealliance.org
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