skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Tougher New Training Standards for Home Care Aides in WA

play audio
Play

Friday, January 6, 2012   

OLYMPIA, Wash. – People entering the booming field of home-based health care will now need at least twice as much training as used to be required in Washington, and must take a certification exam. The law officially changes on Sat., Jan. 7.

It is the result of two ballot measures (Initiatives 1029 and 1163) approved in recent years by voters. After the first vote, the Legislature said the state didn't have the money to implement it – but a second ballot confirmed that people want Home Care Aides to have more professional expertise as they assist Washington's elderly residents and people with disabilities.

Charissa Raynor, executive director of the SEIU Healthcare Northwest Training Partnership, explains what the new standards will mean.

"It's going to place the entry-level training standards for home care workers on par with the federal training standards for Certified Nursing Assistants, workers who are in nursing homes - which will allow these workers to get more depth, get more hands-on training."

Those who opposed the additional training have said it will raise the cost of home-based care, which sometimes includes chores and errands that aren't health-related. However, many clients require home care because of complex medical conditions that until now, Raynor says, their aides haven't had the training to deal with.

Although Home Care Aides are unionized in Washington, many make $10 an hour and have few benefits. It's been a problem attracting new workers to a demanding field. Raynor says the goal of the new training standards is not only better patient care - but jobs that will keep workers interested in health careers.

"We see today's home care workers following a pathway to become medical assistants and then eventually, nurses, to help stabilize the healthcare workforce across the board."

She says some workers will pay for the training on their own. For others, employers will negotiate training costs as part of collective bargaining. The standards apply only to Home Care Aides who are newly hired starting Jan. 7 or after. Raynor says people already working in the field should check with SEIU or their employers about updating their skills.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021