10,000 NEW direct-care positions will be needed!
An additional 10,000 new direct-care positions will be needed over the period 2006 to 2016. Click here for State Facts: Iowa’s Direct Care Workforce.
Reports
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Needs Assessment
Better Jobs Better Care
DCW Wages and Benefits
DCW Education
Healthcare for DCWs
Forums
Other
The work of the Iowa CareGivers Association ROC is based upon a number of surveys and reports that were conducted to gauge the climate of direct care in Iowa. These reports are all Iowa-specific and relate to the key component of our mission…
“Enhancing the quality of care by providing education, recognition, advocacy, and research in support of direct care workers.”
Please note: The contact information for the Iowa CareGivers Association in many of the following reports may have changed. Please use our updated information for any questions or contact:
Iowa CareGivers Association
Direct Care Worker Resource & Outreach Center
1211 Vine Street, Suite 1120
West Des Moines, IA 50265
Phone: 515-223-2805
Toll free: 888-710-2762
Fax: 515-226-3214
information@iowacaregivers.org
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Needs Assessment and Pilot Interventions
ICA conducted the first statewide CNA needs assessment survey in 1998 which revealed the top reasons CNA's leave the field to be: short staffing, low wages and poor benefits; inadequate education; and lack of respect. The ICA vision, mission, programs, and the practices and policies are deeply rooted in these survey findings. We are actively responding to the needs expressed by you, as direct care workers.
Better Jobs Better Care
The Better Jobs Better Care (BJBC) Program was a national research and demonstration program funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Atlantic Philanthropies. The goal was to see improvements in the long term care system that increased recruitment and retention of direct care workers and provided a more qualified and stable workforce. Iowa was one of five states to receive this 3 ½ year, $1.3 million demonstration grant. Iowa CareGivers Association served as lead agency in Iowa. As a part of the BJBC program (2003-2007), several original research studies were conducted that have led or are leading to changes in caregiving work itself or changes in public policy that will enable DCWs to improve their work performance. The findings from the studies serve as a catalyst to many of the ongoing and long term practice and policy initiatives of the ICA/ROC. To learn more, please review the following reports.
Direct Care Worker Wages and Benefits
Direct Care Worker Education and Certification
We’ve learned that many of you leave the field of direct care because you don’t receive enough education and training to do what is expected of you; some of you may lack opportunities for advancement within the fields of direct care; and the state and federal standards related to your education, training, or certification is not very clear or consistent. Some of you have said that you have lost your certification when you left one care setting to work in another.
Work is being done to help make the system better for you, those you serve, and your employers.
Direct Care Worker Education Task Force & Direct Care Worker Advisory Council
The following reports review the recommendations by a Governor-appointed Direct Care Worker Task Force that met from 2005-2008. The work of the Task Force was then continued by the Direct Care Worker Advisory Council (2008 – current).
Direct Care Worker Registry
Survey of Nurse Aide Registries in the United States
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Expired Certification Study
Health Care for Direct Care Workers
Health care coverage is not an academic issue or an abstract public policy debate. It’s a subject that deeply affects real people in Iowa; your friends, employers, co-workers, neighbors, and relatives.
Approximately 275,000 Iowans have no health insurance coverage. Thousands more have inadequate coverage—coverage that they pay too much for or get too little from.
Read about the Real Stories of Health Care Coverage of 5 direct care workers.
Forums
From time to time, it becomes apparent that a discussion is needed to gather input on current topics revolving around the direct care workforce. Iowa CareGivers Association has played an important role in bringing various stakeholders together to get their views on the issues, as well as their values in seeking solutions. Please review the reports below for more information.
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