Welcome to the Partnership
WHO WE ARE
We are a broad partnership led by the Maine Council on Aging, the Maine Center for Economic Policy and PHI, working to increase access to quality direct care and support in Maine by changing the way we value workers and the work they do. We are working to create a resilient and empowered direct care and support workforce equipped to provide care and support services to older adults, those with behavioral health needs, and people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities wherever services are needed. Our work is partially funded by a generous grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Every person who needs care and support services in Maine should be able to receive consistent and predictable care and support from an empowered and valued worker who is trained to deliver quality services, regardless of the setting in which services are delivered. A well-trained and appropriately compensated direct care and support workforce is essential to the health and well-being of Maine’s people and economy.
WHAT WE DO
We engage in advocacy, research and coalition building to increase the number and kinds of people who are advocating for sufficient investments in Maine’s “care economy” – both the workforce and the care infrastructure, collaborating on innovative solutions and initiatives to grow and more efficiently deploy a quality workforce, and promoting care as a valuable and honorable profession.
Sign Up to Join the Partnership Today!
Maine’s Essential Care and Support Workforce Partnership represents a broad and robust coalition of advocates working to increase access to quality direct care workers for older people, people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities, and those with behavioral health challenges.
The Partnership Launches Its First Report!
Authored by the Maine Center for Economic Policy, the report, titled, The High Cost of Undervaluing Direct Care Work, highlights the current challenges Mainers face when seeking care in addition to the significant economic repercussions secondary to a historical lack of investment in our care infrastructure. Click here to read!
Stay Up-To-Date on News & Reports on Maine’s Direct Care Workforce
In the News
- At-home Aide Crisis Leaving Mainers to Age Alone (fox23maine.com)
- White House to Highlight Maine for Policies Supporting Direct Care Workers (pressherald.com)
- Making the Math Work: Supporting Direct Care Workers in Maine
- FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Most Sweeping Set of Executive Actions to Improve Care in History
- Maine’s health care workforce shortage is exacerbated by the state’s demographics
Recent Reports
- The State of America’s Direct Support Workforce Crisis 2023 | ANCOR
- Annual Report Shows Direct Support Workforce Stabilizing as Progress Continues on Long-Term Care Initiatives
- Adult Day Services in Maine: Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities
- Efforts and Progress in Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission to Study Long-term Care Workforce Issues
Meet Our Leadership Team
Maine Center for Economic Policy
The Maine Center for Economic Policy advances equity and prosperity for all Maine people through issue-based analysis, education, and advocacy.
Maine Council on Aging
The MCOA is a broad, multidisciplinary network of over 135 organizations, businesses, municipalities, and older community members working to ensure we can all live healthy, engaged, and secure lives with choices and opportunities as we age at home and in community settings.
PHI
PHI is a national organization committed to strengthening the direct care workforce by producing robust research and analysis, leading federal and state advocacy initiatives, and designing ground-breaking workforce interventions and models. For more than 30 years, we have brought a 360-degree perspective on the long-term care sector to our evidence-informed strategies.
Davey Strategies
Davey Strategies helps experts and advocates communicate in ways that improve public understanding of difficult social problems and build support for policy and systems change.