NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA — AmeriHealth Caritas continues to demonstrate its commitment to long-term services and supports by funding an innovative program to help improve training and support for Pennsylvania caregivers. This is the second of three investments that aim to support vulnerable Pennsylvanians. Through AmeriHealth Caritas’ Community HealthChoices (CHC) health plans, the plans of choice for eligible Pennsylvanians, more than $355,000 is being granted to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA).
PHA has described Pennsylvania’s workforce shortage as a “crisis,” citing a need for 65,370 additional home-based care providers by 2035. This represents a nearly 43% increase from current levels, with Pennsylvania having the fifth highest demand in the nation. Through this grant, enhancements and additions to web-based training materials will be deployed to caregivers employed in a home or community-based setting.
“Caregivers are too often the unsung heroes in long-term and chronic-care situations. We must recognize their stress levels and provide assistance to help retain highly qualified home health care professionals and attract others to the profession,” said Stephan Roker, Senior Vice President, Community HealthChoices for AmeriHealth Caritas. “This grant aims to help provide Pennsylvania caregivers with the tools and resources that will make their role more manageable and rewarding.”
“For more than a decade, the Pennsylvania Homecare Association has offered free, on-demand training courses designed specifically for direct care workers and family caregivers through our platform My Learning Center,” said CJ Rambler, President of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association’s Board of Directors. “This resource is accessed by hundreds of thousands of caregivers each year. Through this grant from AmeriHealth Caritas, we are able to expand this resource to help ensure that Pennsylvania caregivers can access the resources they need to deliver high-quality care to Pennsylvanians who need support at home.”
AmeriHealth Caritas has also funded a program with the SeniorLAW Center to provide access to housing-related legal assistance to at-risk older adults. A future investment focused on closing the digital divide for seniors will be announced in the coming months.
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