New program to address LTC direct-care workforce - News Notes - Brief Article

Nursing Homes, Jan, 2003 by Douglas J. Edwards

Now it's getting serious: Better understanding of ways to recruit and retain quality LTC direct-care workers is the goal behind a new multiorganizational effort backed by $15.5 million in foundation funding. The "Better Jobs, Better Care" program, jointly funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies, will issue grants to projects that test new approaches to providing a more stable and qualified long-term care staff, and evaluate the results.

The Institute for the Future of Aging Services, housed within AAHSA, will manage the program, with the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute providing technical assistance to grantees. For-profit facilities can participate in the program by joining "stakeholder" teams. For more information, e-mail Debra Lipson, deputy director of "Better Jobs, Better Care," at dlipson@aahsa.org or visit www.futureofaging.org.