2005 DSP Appreciation Banquet
The first annual DSP Appreciation Banquet provided
a great opportunity to show public appreciation for and thankfulness to DSPs in
this region. Altogether, 157 people attended the banquet, 102 of which were
DSPs. The evening included a three-course meal; certificates of membership in
SPEAK; incentive checks; dozens of door prizes including gift certificates to
Louisville area restaurants, museums, athletic competitions, and more. The
evening also included a public declaration of appreciation from the mayor’s
office; an inspirational speech from Sandra Mlinarcik, SPEAK Director; and
several formal awards of appreciation for DSPs from each of our partner
agencies. The night was a great celebration of the important work performed by
DSPs in this region. It is with eager anticipation and excitement that we look
forward to the second annual DSP Appreciation Banquet in 2006. We hope to see
you there!
Degrees for DSPs
The Kentucky Community and Technical
College System has developed a certificate program that is designed to prepare
students to enter the direct support work field. The certificate program was
developed through a Real Choices Systems Change grant from the federal Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services. A Workforce Development Consortium made up
of consumers, educators, providers, professionals, and advocates oversaw the
development of the program. The curriculum is based on job profilings of Direct
Support Professionals. The certificate program is a 15-16 credit hour program
offered through classroom teaching or on-line through the Kentucky Virtual
University. The curriculum provides basic information and skills related to a
broad range of Direct Support Work jobs and different consumer populations. For
more information, contact the Human Services Coordinator at your local
community college or contact Beth Richardson at the Leadership Institute: (502)
587-6500.
National Crisis?
Are there problems with recruiting and retaining in
the DSP workforce? If so, what are the greatest problems and how do we handle
them? The problems come into focus when observing the data. For instance, the
latest statistics show that national turnover rates among DSPs are between 50
and 77 percent. This means that in any given year, nearly three out of every
four people accepting jobs as DSPs end up leaving the field. When looking at
the demographics of this workforce, nine out of 10 DSPs are women; 70-85 percent
of these are between ages 27 and 39; and in the last quarter of the 20th
century, the proportion of the workforce in this demographic group shrank. This
leaves an national average vacancy rate of 6 percent to 14 percent for DSP
positions. Mix these statistics with the anticipation that 868,000 new
direct-care positions will be created by 2012 (a 34 percent increase over the
number of positions in 2002), and it doesn’t take long to see that America will
soon face crisis in this industry. If these trends continue in the same
direction over the next ten years, then we will have far more people needing
services from DSPs than we will have DSPs to fill those positions.
Still, you might say, “What is the big deal?” We tend not to think about what “might” occur unless we see it directly affecting us, and even then, planning for what might occur in 10 years is not easy. If nothing happens to attract new workers and retain the current workers, then the aging population, who need some direct supports will be forced to move into nursing home facilities far earlier than necessary. Others with labels of mental retardation or other developmental disabilities will be forced into similar placements. This surely will affect people in your own family and in your circle of friends. We are not talking about a few people being placed in nursing homes, but potentially hundreds of thousands. Unfortunately, these statistics tend to ring hollow until this crisis affects you or someone you love.
Between 2000 and 2002, at least 27 states undertook or funded formal analyses of the causes of this coming crisis. Additionally, despite many federal budget cuts, the U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services are spending more than 514 million to address problems in recruitment and retention of DSPs. Locally, you benefit from some of those federal dollars through SPEAK. We hope that our efforts and others like them in various cities will be effective in both recruiting good workers to this field and in retaining them long-term. It is exciting to think that our local efforts are having and will have an impact on the whole system known as Direct Supports. If our efforts meet success here in the metro Louisville area, then perhaps they can be reduplicated across the nation.