Hartford Institute partnering with ArchCare to develop long-term care workforce in New York

The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU Meyers is partnering with ArchCare, the healthcare system of the Archdiocese of New York, to help ensure that the state’s aging population will be cared for by a well-trained workforce of long-term healthcare providers.

ArchCare has a received a multi-million dollar, three-year grant from the New York State Department of Health to establish ArchCare as an official state-designated Workforce Investment Organization. This enables ArchCare to deliver a wide range of training programs focused on enhancing the skills and increasing employment and advancement opportunities of long-term care workers in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

The grant is part of the health department’s Managed Long-Term Care Workforce Investment Program, a statewide initiative focused on attracting, recruiting, retraining and retaining healthcare workers to meet the growing demand for long-term care services in New York. Among other goals, the program seeks to improve access to long-term care in underserved communities, and to support the expansion of home care and other services that allow people to be cared for in the community instead of in institutions.

The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, which has an international reputation for its work focused on innovation and education to advance geriatric healthcare, will work with ArchCare to develop a range of courses and online educational resources for long-term care workers.  Together, the two organizations will develop a nurse residency program to strengthen the workforce of people trained to care for older adults.

“With the rapid growth of our older adult population, it is increasingly important that the healthcare team, including licensed professionals and direct care workers, know how to provide the right care wherever older people are living – at home, in assisted living or in long-term care,” said Tara Cortes, PhD, executive director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing and professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

ArchCare’s initial course topics as a state-designated Workforce Investment Organization include person-centered care, health literacy, cultural competency and specific topics addressing health issues, which contribute to hospital admissions and re-admissions. New courses taught by ArchCare and other experts will be introduced quarterly, including training for certification as a Home Health Aide, Certified Nursing Assistant and Certified Case Manager.