Description

The Greater Cleveland, Ohio Long-Term Care Workforce Initiative (LTCWI), led by Cuyahoga Community College's Center for Applied Gerontology was designed to stabilize and improve the recruitment and retention of direct-care workers.

Cuyahoga Community College was selected as the lead agency and awarded funds from the Senior Success Vision Council of the Community Vision Council of United Way Services, to conduct a project that would address the needs of elders and direct-care workers. The mission of the LTCWI is to bring together stakeholders in long-term care to: Improve the image of direct-care workers, provide worker supports through training, improve the recruitment and retention of appropriately trained direct care workers, and collaborate with statewide advocacy networks to promote public policy that enhances and supports recruitment.

Sponsoring Organization

Cuyahoga Community College, Center for Applied Gerontology, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
United Way Services
The Senior Success Vision Council of the Community Vision Council

Setting

Cuyahoga Community College

Target Group

Direct-care workers; administrators; and human resources, staff development and supervisory personnel in long-term care.

Start Date

Initiative launched March 2003
Website launched January 2005

Objectives

- Raise public awareness of direct-care work
- Supply and support education and training for direct-care workers and their supervisors and managers
- Influence public policy to improve working conditions for direct-care workers
- Provide information about job openings, training opportunities, and other resources to people interested in direct-care work.

Key Components

The LTCWI coordinates and provides information about training programs. It also provides information about job opportunities, and current events in long-term care through its website, printed materials, and community-based initiatives.

Website

The website www.directcarejobs.info serves as an interactive portal for people interested in working in long-term care. Its main sections include:

-Rewarding Work/Making a Difference: Describes the impact direct care workers have on their community

-Choosing a Career Path: Describes various job titles in direct care

-Direct-care Employers: Lists agencies that employ direct-care workers

-Events: Lists current events and community based seminars

-Training Directory: Provides information about training programs in Cuyahoga County for direct-care workers and licensed practical nurses

-Helpful Links: Links to organizations that offer training and additional information about careers in direct care

The LTCWI website averages 320 unique visits per month.

Community Outreach/Initiatives

The LTCWI works to enhance industry practices that support the recruitment and retention of appropriately trained direct-care workers.

Initiatives include:

-A two-day conference in January 2005 titled 'Sharing Solutions for Workforce Success: A Best Practices Forum'

-A five-part management series to be offered in the spring of 2006 through the college's Continuing and Professional Education program that covers solutions outlined in the best practices forum.

Topics will include leadership, turnover, supervisory training, behavioral interviewing techniques, and developing mentoring and shadowing skills.

-To ensure that the program meet local needs, the LTCWI surveyed local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care agencies about the demographics of their workers and clients, the methods they used to recruit direct-care workers, and the retention strategies they employed.

The LTCWI also collaborates with statewide advocacy networks to promote public policies that enhance and support recruitment and retention of direct-care workers. Initiatives include:

-Recommendations submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation for a 'No Lift' program to reduce on-the-job injuries. As of fall 2005, the program was under development.

-A medication aide pilot program will be implemented in Ohio by July, 2006.

-A federal criminal background check pilot program is currently being developed in seven states (Alaska, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wisconsin).

Training Programs

Training courses are coordinated by the LTCWI through the Center for Applied Gerontology's Continuing and Professional Education Program, but all training materials are owned and administered by consultants.

Additional information about training programs, times and opportunities are posted on the LTCWI's website. Topics include:

-State tested nurse assistant training (STNA) programs

-Home health aide training programs

-Train-the-trainer programs

-Continuing education programs for direct-care workers

The site also provides information about financial assistance for direct-care workers in training programs.

To access the list of training programs, click here.

LTCWI is also establishing competency standards for direct-care providers to serve as the foundation for curriculum design, training education, career ladders, and other tools.

Results, Outcomes, Evaluation

The program is being formally evaluated by the Margaret Blenkner Research Institute (MBRI) of Benjamin Rose.

Since 2003, MBRI evaluation team members have worked closely with the lead agency and its four taskforces (Public Awareness/Marketing, Training/Education, Solutions for Workforce Success and Public Policy/Advocacy) to help define measurable goals and objectives for the taskforces. During the second year of the project, MBRI evaluators shifted the focus of the evaluation to an examination of the impact of the LTCWI activities over time in Cuyahoga County.

To measure these outcomes, MBRI evaluators surveyed local nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home care agencies in 2004, collecting data about 2003 to establish baseline information in these areas prior to LTCWI activities. Two years of follow-up data collection (for 2004 and 2005) will measure changes in recruitment and retention strategies in Cuyahoga County long-term care organizations.

To read the results of the survey conducted in 2003, click here.

Lessons Learned

The success of the LTCWI is demonstrated by its ability to bring partners together to address workforce issues. More than 60 community partnerships have formed as a result of the efforts of the LTCWI. 'We are fortunate to have a strong, dedicated group of collaborators that are committed to working together to meet this critical workforce issue,' says Project manager Eileen Yates. 'Collaborative efforts are not only taking place locally, but statewide and nationally as well.' Administrators believe that these partnerships attest to the community's awareness of the importance of elder services.

Some of the collaborative relationships that have formed as a resulted of the work of the Initiative are:

Ohio Department of Aging
Granted the LTCWI permission to build upon the work of the Ohio Healthcare Workforce Advisory Council to incorporate their logo/tagline 'Make Care Your Career' into their marketing materials and include information from the website into the LTCWI website located at www.directcarejobs.info

Ohio KePro
(Ohio's Quality Assurance Provider for CMS)
The LTCWI Project Manager serves on the Nursing Home Advisory Council and person Centered Care Coalition.

Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation
The LTCWI was asked to provide recommendations for the proposed 'No-Lift' policy.

Ohio Health Care Association
Provides updates and links to key issues being addressed by the LTCWI.

Jennings Center for Older Adults
Jennings is an active supporter of the LTCWI and one of the first organizations to link to our website so that potential job seekers may learn about employment opportunities at Jennings.

Costs and Funding

Users are not charged for materials collected by the LTCWI or distributed via the website. Consultant fees, advertising costs, web site hosting costs and other expenses are covered by a three-year, $430,000 grant from the Community Vision Council of United Way Services. In addition, $450,000 in funds was raised by the lead agency, Cuyahoga Community College, from the funders listed above. Administrative costs for LTCWI's training seminars are shared with the Center for Applied Gerontology. Other project funders include: The McGregor Foundation, Abington Foundation, Eva L. and Joseph M. Bruening Foundation, St. Luke's Foundation

Contact Information

Eileen Yates, MPA
Project Manager, Long Term Care Workforce Initiative
4250 Richmond Rd., E-1, Room 100
Highland Hills, OH 44122

t: 216-987-2147
f: 216-987-2053
e: eileen.yates@tri-c.edu