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For direct care workers and their allies
 
April 17, 2012
Finding My Home in the U.S. through Home Care
Elizabeth Castillo
Elizabeth Castillo
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and then I lived for a while in Ciudad Juarez. I moved to El Paso in 1991. I'm an American citizen now, and I like being here better, but I love Mexico too. On every corner is a little store where we can buy tortillas and whatever else we need, and outside there are people everywhere, and everybody knows everybody. Here nobody is outside on the street.

Maybe that's why I love my job. I love people, helping them and talking to them, and that's what I do all day now as a home care worker.

Read more from Elizabeth Castillo.

Direct from Washington, DC

Capitol HIll

Senate hearing on long-term care financing:  Tomorrow (April 18) at 2 p.m., Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (WI) is holding a hearing entitled The Future of Long-Term Care: Saving Money by Serving Seniors. The hearing will focus on opportunities to improve the quality of care while reducing costs. Learn more or watch the hearing live.

  

Inside health reform: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced interim final rules on two key provisions of the Affordable Care Act, the establishment of Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans and eligibility changes to the Medicaid Program. Public comments are due on May 11 for the Exchange regulations and May 7 for the Medicaid rule. 

Funding available for disability employment initiative:  The U.S. Department of Labor has announced the availability of approximately $20 million in grants to improve educational, training, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.      

Caring Across Generations Campaign Builds Momentum

Caring Across Generations logoFresh from the success of having helped flood the U.S. Department of Labor with comments in support of the proposed home care rule, Caring Across Generations is gaining momentum in its campaign to ensure dignity and a good quality of life for elders, people with disabilities, and the people who care for them in their homes. The Direct Care Alliance is on the Leadership Team of this coalition of over 200 organizations.

CAG has brought together a broad cross-section of advocates for both caregivers and care recipients to transform the way we care for people in their homes, and the value we assign to that care work. Read more.

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Direct from the Headlines
A New York Times editorial outlines the progress made on the rule to extend minimum wage and overtime protections to home care workers and the challenges that remain.

The April 2012 Center for Personal Assistance Services Bulletin reports on the latest statistics on the booming direct care workforce, how a direct care worker shortage is keeping an important pilot project from meeting its goals, and more.

Ellen Bravo of Family Values @ Work Consortium talks about why fair wages and paid sick time for "women's work" should be a major campaign issue in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial and a TV interview with Melissa Harris-Perry. (Bravo's segment starts at 4:25.)
The Direct Care Alliance is the national advocacy voice of direct care workers in long-term care. We empower workers to speak out for better wages, benefits, respect, and working conditions, so more people can commit to direct care as a career. We also convene powerful allies nationwide to build consensus for change. 

Questions? Comments? Story ideas? Please contact Elise Nakhnikian at 646-823-7434 or enakhnikian@directcarealliance.org.