On April 28, 2021, in follow-up to their December Summit, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a webinar entitled “Building Capacity in the Direct Service Workforce: Moving Forward from the Summit.”
The session focused on three key subject areas including:
- Person-Centered Practice- Delivering Quality Supports People Want
- Coordinating Care Across Systems and Settings
- Professional Development- Building Key Competencies
It is encouraging that CMS is showing its commitment to the direct service workforce and is actively looking for insight and collaboration across sectors to address the existing workforce challenges. The conversation and participation at this webinar session was lively and many representatives from various organizations and states were sharing their perspectives on opportunities but also discussing innovative solutions.
Overview and resources shared from the session can be found HERE.
CMS plans on extending invitations in the near future to state Medicaid agencies to participate in a learning collaborative aimed at discussing and developing new strategies for addressing direct service worker issues. You can ask for more information by emailing HCBS-learning@lewin.com