Newsletter, periodic publication

The National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce publishes a free e-mail newsletter called Quality Jobs/Quality Care. Published twice a month, the newsletter covers issues concerning direct-care workers in long-term care and provides reliable, up-to-date information related to the direct-care workforce nationwide. To subscribe, visit the Clearinghouse website at www.directcareclearinghouse.org and look for Free E-mail Alerts.

Financing long-term care (LTC) is a key policy and budget issue both in New Hampshire and nationally. Debates focus on who should bear the financial burden of LTC or how the burden should be distributed. This brief looks at what LTC is, its importance to people with disabilities, LTC financing mechanisms, the economy and LTC, and recommendations for change.

The first newsletter for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Community Integration of Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) announces the opening of their Center and describes the mission and the goals of the Center, including all the research and training projects that will be conducted there over the next 5 years.

Direct care workers and long-term care employers are facing greater challenges than ever before in securing affordable health coverage. This "Better Jobs, Better Care" issue brief presents the case for improving health coverage to direct care workers and offers realistic strategies for making health coverage more available and more affordable to them and their families.

This Community Living Brief addresses the issue of consumer/survivor–operated programs and how they have had a significant impact on the delivery of mental health services in this country. The central values of consumer-operated services (empowerment, choice, and to a growing extent, self-determination) now are recognized within the traditional mental health system. At a systems level, consumers/survivors have a formal and recognized voice in planning, implementation, and research.

This Community Living Brief describes the direct and indirect costs of the mental health worker shoratge crisis as they pertain to employers, staff members and consumers. Developing and maintaining an effective workforce requires the same sort of highly planned and systematic approach as any other organizational function. The Brief outlines the five basic steps involved in workforce planning are.

This issue introduces long-term care providers to peer mentoring, an innovative strategy that has been shown to significantly improve retention among direct-care workers. Implementing peer mentor programs at home care agencies and in nursing facilities, we identify the benefits of mentoring programs, define the peer mentor’s role, discuss critical mentoring skills, & outline the key design elements that long-term care organizations need to consider when developing their own peer mentor programs.

As a result of the determination of one ordinary citizen, Karen Shidel, courts have issued a landmark ruling in support of growth management that has statewide ramifications. The Fourth District Court of Appeal has upheld the right of citizens to require local governments to follow their comprehensive plans. The newsletter explains the case in detail.

This Community Living Brief explores the history of Medicaid Waivers and the challenges that remain for ensuring equality and inclusion for all citizens.

This Community Living Brief explores the transition to an independent, integrated living situation. This article serves as a guide to assist the individual when considering moving back into the community. The article provides information on finding an advocate and also provides a transition checklist to help facilitate the moving process.