The IHCA/INCAL participated in FSSA and the IU Bowen Center’s six-hour strategic planning session on July 26 with about 50 other participants, evaluating public policy ideas to address the significant shortage of health care professionals in Indiana. FSSA had already conducted work, identifying the top issues impacting direct service workers (“DSWs”), which are:
- Recruitment
- Training & Regulation
- Wages & Benefits
- Retention & Career Development
- Workforce Data & Tracking
- Social & Other Supports
19 strategies are covered by these broad buckets that can be found online. There was broad consensus from the session’s participants for the state to provide more funding for home and community based services through Medicaid reimbursement, in addition to supporting more training programs in the K-12 and higher education system.
IHCA/INCAL will continue to collaborate with FSSA as the agency develops its direct service worker strategic plan, specifically advocating for the state to provide more support for our industry’s workforce system. For more information, please reach out to IHCA/INCAL Government Affairs Director, Nick Goodwin.