HCAOA The Voice Summer 2020

2 HCAOA The Voice EXECUTIVE CORNER After the Crucible of COVID, Home Care Faces an Exciting New Future SOMANYWORDS HAVE BEENWRITTENABOUTTHE COVID-19 PANDEMIC that I have no delusion that I could ever write something more profound than what has already been published. Suffice it to say, our lives will never be the same; nor will home care ever go back to the way it was at the beginning of 2020. This year not only marks a new decade, it will also go down in history as the turning point of how we view public health and safety and the value of in-home care. Home care in this moment has been a perfect prescription for preventing the spread of a disease. With 90% of COVID-19 positive individuals not needing hospitalization, but rather being told to go home and self-quarantine, in-home care became the answer for many; not to mention the thousands of older Americans already under the care of a home care organization. As guardians to the most vul - nerable population to the coronavirus, home care agencies had to respond quickly to the disease to ensure both clients and caregivers were protected and supported. This issue of The Voice features articles about homecare’s role during the coronavirus outbreak from people who were and are still deeply involved in caring for COVID clients to a candid perspective of the impact the pandemic has had on our industry. But good outcomes can come from bad beginnings, and this is particularly true over the last three months. Collaboration flourished among all the national associations representing home-based care, especially between us and the National Home Care and Hospice Association, and the Partnership for Medicaid Home-based Care. We have all joined together to advocate for front-line workers to ensure they receive the benefits they deserve for remaining on the job and caring for people despite the risks. Currently, we continue to urge members of Congress to consider incentives for our workers to remain on the job despite the ease of qualifying for unemployment. As we move forward, we must solidify many of the efforts that began because of COVID-19: Increased training of home care aides; more communication with our staff and clients, and efforts in support of standards of care for home care orga - nizations. This communication extends to our Coronavirus resource page , which has been a constantly-changing source of value for agencies struggling to adjust to changing statutes or even find vital PPE. Members played a huge role in providing their best practices and contacts to build and maintain that resource. Earning the designation as health care, we in the home care community must accept the responsibility to ensure a trained and qualified workforce, a standard of care that responds to individuals’ needs and data that proves our value. The last three months have been trying, of that is no doubt. But thanks to the resilience of our members, I am filled with excitement for our industry’s future. Connecticut Chapter Chair Chaim Gewirtzman (L) with Executive Director Vicki Hoak at a chapter meeting before the outbreak.