Partnership Promotes Direct Care Workforce
<bt>A new regional partnership has been formed to help recruit, train and retain the workforce needed to provide direct care for Northern VirginiaÕs growing population of seniors and adults with disabilities.
The Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC) and the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board (NVWIB) will work collaboratively with Northern Virginia Community College and other partners to develop best practices for recruitment, training and retention of a direct care workforce for Northern Virginia.
ÒDirect care workersÓ include a range of occupations including nursing assistants and aides, personal care and home health aides, residential counselors and program assistants, companions, sitters, certified medication technicians and many others who provide daily, hands-on care to seniors and adults with disabilities. These workers care for clients in various settings, such as nursing homes, group homes, adult day care centers, assisted living facilities and in individualsÕ own homes.
The Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board (NVWIB) represents over 1.5 million residents and thousands of businesses in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.
Overseeing the regionÕs workforce system, the board helps businesses and schools to produce a workforce responsive to the needs of the Northern Virginia business community. Nationwide, the U.S. Department of Labor projects that the health care industry will add 3.5 million new jobs between 2002 and 2012, an increase of 28 percent. During this time, home health services employment is projected to grow by nearly 56 percent from current levels.
More information about the Fairfax County Long Term Care Coordinating Council is available on the Internet at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ltc. For more information about the Northern Virginia Workforce Investment Board, contact David Hunn, NVWIB Executive Director, at 703-752-1606, or visit www.myskillsource.org.
<sh>Crime Prevention Initiative for Older Virginians
<bt>Gov. Mark Warner (D) has launched Virginia's Public Safety Institute, an outgrowth of his Protect and Respect initiative, aimed at educating Virginia's senior citizens about personal safety and crime prevention.
Crime prevention specialists from the State Police will fan out across the Commonwealth to offer free training on topics related to personal safety and crime prevention. The training will be provided to groups of older Virginians who request it through the state's area agencies on aging or civic groups. Topics covered by the program include: identity theft; guarding against financial scams and con artists; Internet security; fire prevention; and personal safety. Specialists from the Departments of Emergency Management and Fire Programs will provide training as well.
More information about the Protect & Respect Program is available by calling the Governor's Office of Public Safety, at 804-786-5351. To arrange a local Public Safety Institute, contact Special Agent Greg Hopkins at Virginia State Police, 804-674-4632.