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CMS Launches Direct Service Workforce Resource Center
March 29, 2006
A new resource center from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offers information and assistance to ''support efforts to improve the quality of the workforce and to enhance recruitment and retention of direct support professionals.''
The National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center is aimed at state and local governments, policy makers, researchers, employers, workers, and consumers with an interest in recruitment, retention, and support of direct-care workers who assist elders and people with disabilities. It includes:
- A searchable online database of resources, current research, best practices and policy briefs, including worker and supervisor training curricula, guidance on measuring workforce outcomes, recruitment materials, and peer mentorship program designs.
- Access to information, resources, and advice from a diverse and experienced team of direct-service workforce policy professionals through a national toll-free telephone number (1-877-822-2647).
- Individualized, in-depth technical assistance for state Medicaid agencies with initiatives aimed at improving the home- and community-based direct-service workforce.
The Resource Center's online database includes numerous links to the National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce. In addition, the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, the Clearinghouse's parent organization, is one of the Resource Center's team of experts. The other experts on the team are The Lewin Group, the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, and the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota.
Elise Nakhnikian
Communications Specialist
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
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