Real Choice Systems Change

NORTH CAROLINA

Grant Information


Name of Grantee

NC Department of Health and Human Services

Title of Grant

Direct Care Workforce Recruitment and Retention

Type of Grant

Real Choice Systems Change

Amount of Grant

$1,600,000

Year Original Funding Received

2001

Completed

Contact Information


Jackie Sheppard, Assistant Secretary
919-733-4534
Jackie.sheppard@ncmail.net

Jan Moxley, Project Manager
NC Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Long-term Care
2001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
919-855-4429
Jan.Moxley@ncmail.net

Subcontractor(s)

Direct Care Workers Association of North Carolina
Janet McQueen
919-715-3952

North Carolina Board of Nursing
Polly Johnson
919-782-3211

McGlynn and Associates
Maggie McGlynn
919-968-7953

Target Population(s)


All populations needing home and community based services.

Goals


  • Reduce institutional bias in the state's long-term care system.
  • Improve the size, stability, and quality of the state's direct care workforce to address the current workforce crisis, and expand this workforce to better meet the personal care and home management needs of persons with disabilities now and in the future.

Activities


  • Design and implement a consumer-directed care model.
  • Develop new competency-based job categories to provide a career ladder for direct care workers in home and community-based settings.
  • Develop educational and marketing materials for use with the media, the general public, schools, nontraditional populations, etc., to promote employment opportunities and enhance the image of, and appreciation for, direct care workers.
  • Compile annual turnover data from home care agencies and assisted living facilities, using a uniform methodology to track the workforce over time.
  • Collect, compile, analyze, and disseminate data specific to North Carolina's direct care workforce.

Abstract


Grant activities will focus on several major areas: reducing institutional bias, developing a career ladder for direct care workers; implementing public education and awareness efforts to promote recruitment and retention of direct care workers; and designing a consumer-directed care model and related accountability requirements, reimbursement policies, and policies covering fiscal intermediaries for clients.

Addressing direct care workforce issues will require a multipronged approach. Our project will develop competency-based training models (e.g., working with persons with complex medical needs, developmental disabilities, dementia, and other cognitive impairments; and developing skills in mentoring, supervision, effective communication, etc.). We will develop curricula and in-service and continuing education programs in support of core and specialized training (including supervisory training and mentoring) and develop appropriate training outlets, opportunities for Web-based training, etc.

To recruit and retain direct care workers, it is necessary to enhance the image of this workforce. We will implement a range of public education and awareness efforts to promote information about direct care worker opportunities (paid and volunteer) focused on home and community care. These efforts will include the development of promotional and training materials for use in high school allied health programs. We will also convene a Task Force of direct care staff to get input on recruitment, retention, and marketing efforts; develop public service announcements, video spots, feature articles, and flyers for use with the media, general public, high schools, Hispanic and nontraditional populations, disabled populations, Job Corps, etc.; and participate in job fairs to address the image and importance of this workforce. Additionally, we will promote the development of a direct care worker association in the State and help the association to transition to a freestanding organization by the end of the grant. We will also compile and disseminate information about innovative strategies being used to address recruiting and retaining direct care workers.

We will collect and analyze data about the direct care workforce that will inform our efforts to recruit and retain workers.