Project Description:
This grant is a DD Network Collaborative activity where Funds from ACL to the UCEDD and DD Council, targeting improvement in the public health workforce subsequent to the public health emergency, were combined to have a more substantial impact. The workforce shortage in Arkansas is so significant that even though funds have been made available by the Governor to clear the waiting list for the Community and Employment Supports Waiver, there are insufficient staff available to support the individuals with I/DD who would be moving into those new slots. This project will gather data directly from DSP and managers of community-based provider organization to identify specific issues in Arkansas contributing to the recruitment/retention problem, develop a toolkit for provider agencies and providing technical assistance for implementation. In addition, the project will connect provider agencies in Arkansas with an organization from Kansas, Goodlife Innovations, who has developed a model of recruiting, hiring and scheduling DSPs that has resulted in their organization paying the highest rate in Kansas, having minimal turn-over, and being able to recruit sufficiently that they have an available pool of DSPs at any point in time. They use a scheduling model that mirrors the way hospitals schedule nurses, one where DSPs work three days and are off four. The time-off created in their model has made the DSP positions highly desirable, rather than being below the fast-food industry in ranking. The lack of turnover has enabled them to increase the wage rate of their DSP by $3.05/hour, within the same budget. The CEO is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) who specializes in Organizational Management so all tier decisions are data driven. They will use their data analysis system and skills to assist interested provider agencies in Arkansas to test their same model. If successful, these providers can then serve as a model for other provider agencies in Arkansas.
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote
