Let’s ask Jo! She’ll know!

Q: A family member was just in a rehabilitation facility after a serious car accident. Maybe you can tell me why it sometimes took forever to have her call button answered. It was scary.

A: The explanation is pretty simple, really. They gone. Hands-on patient care and safety at rehab facilities, hospitals, nursing homes, home health care agencies and caregiving services depend on the army of health care professionals known as Direct Care Workers (DCWs). Job openings for DCWs are #4 on Iowa Workforce Development's Top Ten Hit Parade.

Then what does the future hold?

What's the saying, "First measure, then improve"? Except for CNAs employed by long-term care facilities, Iowa does not regulate or track Direct Care Workers. As you can imagine, that makes it difficult (read: impossible) to quantify and address the shortfall in this category of health care workers. Various agencies put the number of DCWs at between 30,000 and 65,000, which is quite a margin of error. What we do know is that the health care consulting firm, Mercer, estimates Iowa will be short 36,000 DCWs just three years from now. A crisis of access is also a crisis of safety. Be careful out there.

Update on the threat to Iowa's "rural" hospitals

If you still believe only hospitals in cornfields

are in jeopardy of closing, think again:

Mercy Hospital-Iowa City in critical condition

How about investing one hour in preserving health care access for the rest of your life? Jo has a fix for health care's supply chain crisis. If your organization or community gathering wants to host a thought-provoking and informative program, check out Jo's introductory presentation, “Battling for health care access: Where will you be when the music stops?” Click here for details about Bridges, then contact Jo at JoKline@msn.com to learn if one or more of her info-packed presentations is a good fit.