State Strategies for Sector Growth and Retention of the Direct Care Health Workforce

Direct care workers provide essential and physically demanding services for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and others requiring life-saving and life-supporting help. However, they are generally paid lower wages than others with a comparable level of training and skill requirements.

Demand for direct care workers has increased drastically over the last several decades and was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper illustrates how Governors are positioned to positively influence direct care workforce policy and programs within their states, and can serve as models for other states to devise comprehensive plans to retain direct care workers.

Governors are positioned to positively influence direct care workforce policy and programs within their states, as the examples outlined in this paper illustrate. They can serve as models for other states to devise comprehensive plans to retain direct care workers in each state