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Report:
Shortage of Long-Term Care Workers
USHHS May 20, 2003
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and DOL Secretary Elaine Chao today
released a report showing that by 2050 the nation will need three times as
many long-term care workers as are employed now to meet the needs of the
aging Baby Boom generation. About 5.7 million to 6.5 million long-term care workers --
comprising nurses, nurse aids and home health and personal care workers --
will be needed to meet the nation's needs in 2050, up from about 1.9
million such workers employed in 2000. The report outlines a series of
actions to bolster the long-term care workforce and promote quality care
and services in the future. "If we want to ensure quality long-term care for Baby Boomers,
we need to act now to build the workforce and encourage creative ways to
improve long-term care -- both in their own homes and communities and in
long-term care institutions," Secretary Thompson said.
"President Bush's New Freedom Initiative is helping to develop more
and better options for long-term care, but we must build on these efforts
with innovative solutions to meet this critical health care
challenge." "The shortage of long-term care workers, if left unaddressed,
will affect all Americans in very personal ways. As Secretary of Labor, I
work with individuals who are looking for a new job or greater
opportunity, " Secretary Chao said. "I want all workers to know
that if they want to become a long-term care worker -- whatever their
economic or educational status -- there are many resources to help them
achieve their goal of caring for others. These resources are available
through the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services and the private
sector." The report emphasizes the critical need to retain existing
long-term care workers and attract new workers and to support state and
local initiatives and test new models of recruitment and retention of
long-term care workers. It urges continued support of many of the Bush
Administration's existing efforts to address the growing demand for
long-term care workers. These include: ·
Supporting
state and local initiatives that increase the recruitment and retention of
direct care workers -- such as the DOL's Job Training Initiative,
Apprenticeship Programs, and HHS' Real Choice System Change Grants, and
the National Initiative for Direct Care Workers in Long-Term Care
Settings; ·
Continuing
to support the training and education of long-term care workers through
programs such as the DOL's One-Stop Career Centers, Youth Programs, Pilot
Demonstration Programs, Foreign Labor Certification Programs, the National
Panel on Nursing, and HHS' Medicaid Infrastructure Grants, Advanced
Education Nursing Program, Nursing Education and Practice Program, Nursing
Workforce Diversity, and Nursing Education Loan Repayment and Scholarship
Programs; ·
Continuing
to examine issues of worker compensation, benefits, and safety through
programs and projects such as DOL's National Emphasis Program, and HHS'
National Clearinghouse of Innovative Provider Practices; ·
Supporting
ways to find new sources of workers and insure the adequacy of the
existing workforce through DOL's Transition Assistance Program, and HHS'
Nursing Workforce Diversity Program; ·
Continuing
to support research that provides more information to policymakers on the
quality and availability of the long-term care workforce such as HHS'
Regional Workforce Studies, National Survey of Nurses, Nursing Forecasting
Model, Direct Care Workforce Survey, and DOL's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The report also outlines steps and approaches designed to reduce
the potential workforce shortage. These recommendations include: ·
Continuing
training and education efforts and implementing the Nursing Reinvestment
Act, which was signed by President Bush in August 2002 and creates
financial assistance programs for nursing students and support the nursing
profession through public service announcements; ·
Reaching
out to faith-based and community-based organizations to see how they might
increase the number of volunteers for family respite and caregiving; ·
Engaging
employers, employees, state and local officials, in a dialogue on issues
related to pay, benefits, career ladders, skills required and working
conditions in long-term care; and, ·
Exploring
ways to broaden the supply of long-term care workers by reaching out to
older workers, former TANF recipients, military personnel transitioning to
civilian life, individuals with recent experience providing care to family
members, and young people. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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