New Hampshire Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce
In 2007, the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute’s LEADS Institute (Leadership, Education and Advocacy for Direct Care and Support) convened the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, Home Care Association of New Hampshire, the Institute on Disability, and the New Hampshire Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS) to weigh-in on the direct care workforce predicament. Through a grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), BEAS invited Robyn Stone, Dr.P.H, a noted researcher on healthcare and aging policy, to help launch a direct care workforce group to address the shortage. At that time, additional stakeholders were identified and asked to join the group. In February 2009, the group became the New Hampshire Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce (NHCDCW). This group meets monthly and is focused on understanding the demographics of the direct care workforce, educating legislators and policy makers about the needs of this workforce, and providing training and education on best practices in recruiting, training, and retaining direct care workers.
2009 NHCDCW White Paper: STRATEGIES TO INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF THE DIRECT CARE WORKFORCE:
With a population that is aging at a faster rate than the national average, New Hampshire needs a qualified
direct care workforce capable of supporting our state’s older citizens and those with disabilities to continue
living in their homes and communities. The capacity of the state’s direct care workforce currently is not
adequate to meet this increasing demand for home‐based supports and services.
The following are among the New Hampshire Coalition for the Direct Care Workforce’s recommendations to
address this issue:
CLICK HERE to download the complete 2009 NHCDCW White Paper in pdf format.
CLICK HERE to download the LARGE PRINT version complete 2009 NHCDCW White Paper in pdf format.
Carsey Institute Report: HOME CARE WORKERS: KEEPING GRANITE STATERS IN THEIR HOMES AS THEY AGE
The question of how to provide necessary health
care and personal services to a growing population
over age 65 is an urgent policy problem facing
New Hampshire and the nation. With the aging baby boom
generation, the New Hampshire population over the age of
65 is growing twice as fast as the total population, and today
13 percent of the state’s population is age 65 or older, up
from 11 percent in 1990. Research shows that the population
over 65 in New Hampshire prefers to remain in their
own homes and receive home-based care rather than reside
in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. There is
evidence suggesting that home-based care may be more cost-effective than institutional care, as states with established
home and community-based services (HCBS) experienced
cost savings in Medicaid spending over time. In response to
the preference for home-based care among older adults and
people with disabilities and the potential for cost savings, the
state of New Hampshire has supported the expansion of the
HCBS system and increased Medicaid funding for homebased
services.
The Carsey Institute conducts policy and applied research on vulnerable families and on sustainable community development, giving policy makers and practitioners the timely, independent resources they need to effect change in their communities.
CLICK HERE to download the complete Carsey Institute Report in pdf format.
MEETING MINUTES:
Click Here to view the minutes from the November 2007 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the January 2008 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the March 2008 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the April 2008 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the September 2008 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the October 2008 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the December 2008 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the February 2009 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the April 2009 Meeting
Click Here to view the minutes from the June 2009 Meeting
CONTACTS:
Laura K. Davie Project Director I
Kimberly T. Persson
UNH - Institute on Health Policy & Practice
Hewitt Hall, Room 202
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: 603.862-3682
kimberly.persson@unh.edu
Susan Fox, M.Ed., MA
Project Manager
Institute on Disability / UCED
56 Old Suncook Road, Suite 2
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.228.2084
Fax:603.228.3270
swfox@unh.edu
Mary Maggioncalda
NH Department of Health and Human Services
129 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301
Phone: 603.271.4410 or 800.351.1888 x.4410
Fax: 603.271.4643
mmaggioncalda@dhhs.state.nh.us
