Oregon needs a safe, transparent care workforce.

Oregon is facing a critical shortage of care providers while our state is projected to see a 36% increase in demand over the next decade. The Legislature has an opportunity in its 2022 session to pass a bill that will help build a sufficient, trained workforce to address the needs of our seniors and people with disabilities while providing transparency to consumers and their families. Please contact your legislators today asking them to support Senate Bill 1556 and share this link with your friends to do the same.

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Oregon needs a safe, transparent care workforce

Dear [elected official]

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Please support SB 1556 to provide the safe, transparent workforce Oregon’s seniors and people with disabilities will need to care for them today and in the future. Oregon’s long-term care sector is in the midst of a severe workforce shortage highlighted and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Legislature made key investments in workforce development in the sector during the 2021 session to address short-term needs, but as illustrated by a recent New York Times feature (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/opinion/unions-oregon-assisted-living.html), more must be done immediately and to prepare for an estimated 36% increase in the demand for long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities over the next decade. If Oregon does not take additional action soon to invest in professional development, the crisis will only get worse.

At the same time, families have no accessible way to verify caregiver training or background checks. Oregon needs to grow our caregiver workforce in a way that enhances safety for consumers and peace of mind for their families. SB 1556 presents a significant, achievable step in that direction that can happen this session.

SB 1556 will create and phase in certification for caregivers in community-based care settings (assisted living, memory care, and residential care facilities) and homecare workers; establish a publicly accessible registry that consumers and others can use to confirm that a caregiver’s certification is current; and lay the foundation for a career ladder to encourage job mobility and advancement for caregivers, helping to reduce turnover.

Please support this critical piece of legislation to address Oregon’s need for a care ecosystem with an adequate, trained staff that consumers and their families can rely on. Please vote “YES” on SB 1556.

Sincerely, [Your information here]