On March 7, 1199ers in Washington, D.C. lobbied at their city council for legislation that will help D.C. meet its growing need for homecare workers in the coming decades. In solidarity with the DC Coalition on Long Term Care, members met with lawmakers about the Direct Care Worker Amendment Act, which would increase wages and streamline the credential process for direct care workers to meet the growing need for care workers in D.C.

“[Patients] wait, and wait, and wait, for an aide that may never show up,” said Tiffany Hoey, an 1199 Client Services Representative at D.C.’s Whitman-Walker clinic.

“The pay is very, very low, people can’t make ends meet. We really need this bill passed, and we absolutely need help because it’s disheartening. We’re losing patients because they can’t get the care that they need after they leave the doctor’s office.”

Chloe Gross, an 1199 RN at Whitman-Walker added, “Once patients are deemed eligible to meet the qualifications for a home health aide through the initial assessment, it can take up to six weeks for the patient to be assigned a home health aide. This is difficult for everyone, and in particular, for people who have no family members to help them.”