SYN. NO. AGN. NO.
MOTION BY SUPERVISOR YVONNE BRATHWAITE BURKE September 26, 2000
On October 27, 1998, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman announced a research and planning grant award of $1.2 million for the Health Care Worker Retraining Project to plan for the training needs of the health care workforce in a restructured Los Angeles County health care system. The grant proposal was jointly developed by the Department of Health Services and SEIU Local 660, and labor and management have since jointly administered all facets of the project.
As of the September 30, 2000 termination date, the Health Care Worker Retraining Project will have completed all major undertakings including research activities and a pilot training program. Research activities included analysis of the health care labor market, a survey of health care workers’ skills and interests, mapping of training resources, and best practices in health care worker education and training.

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The project also developed curriculum and recently concluded a comprehensive pilot training for 37 workers in patient financial services. The achievements of the project to date have been widely acknowledged by Project’s advisory board, the Department of Labor, Health Deputies, the training community, and the trainees themselves.
Currently, existing agreements for the training providers expire on September 30, 2000. In order to sustain the momentum and enthusiasm established during the pilot stage of the Healthcare Worker Retraining Project, and to provide an appropriate transition to the Healthcare Worker Retraining Amendment to the 1115 Waiver Demonstration Project, it is imperative that training efforts and transitional planning continue over the next several months.
I, THEREFORE, MOVE that the Board of Supervisors:

1. Instruct the Director of Health Services to secure the Department of Labor’s commitment to reinvest surplus grant funds to assure continuity for training activities, and further the goals of the current grant and the 1115 Waiver Medicaid Demonstration Project.
2. Authorize the Director of Health Services to amend agreements with training providers as necessary to expend the funds remaining in the grant, which are currently estimated to be approximately $80,000. The purpose of these agreements will be to train additional existing Patient Financial Workers enhance their knowledge and skills regarding third party payment programs.

This program is particularly important at this time of fiscal uncertainty and will allow workers to become more effective in qualifying our patients for funding sources.

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3. Instruct the Chief Administrative Officer and the Director of Health Services to work with the Board-established Health Care Worker Training and Development Steering Committee and report back to this Board, no later than November 1, 2000, with a plan for interim training activities in support of the Healthcare Worker Retraining amendment of the 1115 Waiver Medicaid Demonstration Project.

YBB:CH:jt3 (DOLtraining motion)