Pennsylvania: Forming Regional Coalitions in a Large State
A project of Better Jobs Better Care
Field of Work: long-term-care workforce needs in Pennsylvania
Problem Synopsis: Unprecedented vacancies and high turnover among nursing assistants, home health aides and personal care attendants have affected both home- and community-based providers and nursing homes, which have reported annual turnover rates ranging from 40 percent to more than 100 percent. These recruitment and retention problems affect both the quantity and the quality of long-term-care services.
Synopsis of the Work: The lead agency for the 40-member Pennsylvania coalition for the Better Jobs Better Care project, the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly, divided the state into five regions in order to provide a local focus in the large state. In each region, a coalition led by a community agency recruited six long-term-care providers who tested interventions designed to support direct-care workers.
Key Results: Direct-care workers and managers in the five regional coalitions received training to create more supportive workplaces. The project also developed and tested a core curriculum to train new direct-care workers in basic skills applicable across all long-term-care settings.
The Better Jobs Better Care coalition helped create a statewide Direct-Care Worker Association in 2006 with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Its mission is to promote compassionate and quality care by providing education, advocacy and support for the state's direct-care professionals.
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Stories from the RWJF national program, Better Jobs, Better Care: Building a Strong Long-Term Care Workforce
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