HCAOA The Voice Fall 2020

2 HCAOA The Voice EXECUTIVE CORNER Meet the Faces Behind the Masks FOR MORE THAN SEVEN MONTHS, caregivers have adapted new routines, adjusted to new requirements, and found new ways to deliver quality care as they continued to care for clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an association, we have fought for them to be considered essential workers because we know how important they are in protecting our clients and preventing the spread of the coronavirus. We have also urged members of Congress to offer hazard pay for frontline workers, child care benefits, and liability protection for home care organizations. When state governments have not recognized the value of home care agencies, HCAOA chap - ters stepped up and urged state legislators to support increased Medicaid rates and flexibility in regulation enforcement during the pandemic. This advocacy continues today as we urge the Senate to approve additional COVID relief. In this issue of The Voice, we celebrate the faces behind the mask—those caregivers who have answered the call and gone above and beyond to keep their clients safe at home. You’ll meet the 2020 Caregiver of the Year Karen Butler, along with the other finalists for the award who have exemplified the best of what our frontline caregivers do. The HCAOA Medical Advisory Council weighs in on how home care agencies can create a safer environment for their caregivers, and Stephen Tweed of Leading Home Care provides a roadmap for creating a welcoming workplace in the midst of a pandemic. In this issue, we introduce you to new and returning members of HCAOA’s Board of Directors. We have an outstanding group of home care industry executives who will help advise and guide our association through this pandemic and, more importantly, in the years ahead. Over the summer, I wrote in this space how excited I was for our industry’s future. While this country continues to battle COVID-19, home care is finally being recognized for the critical role it plays in protecting our most vulnerable. I urge everyone to remain vigilant in the months ahead as we continue to live through this pandemic. Stay safe and stay connected to HCAOA, keeping in mind that we are your partner in bringing care home. HCAOA Staff Finding New Normal, Too! Jennifer Battista, Senior Director, Membership & Operations, and Vicki Hoak, Executive Director, follow safety protocols during a recent brainstorming meeting.