Academics, advocates, and caregivers alike are leading the way to fix California’s broken long-term care industry in conversation around the newfound momentum behind proposed legislation like AB 1006 and AB 1672, the “Our Care Counts” bill.
WHEN:
Thursday, July 13, 2023
6-8PM PT
WHERE:
The Fresno Center
4879 East Kings Canyon Road
Fresno, CA 93727
WHO:
Public health professor Helda Pinzón-Perez, health care workforce researcher Janette Dill, and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) provider Martha Valladarez, a member and Regional Vice President of SEIU Local 2015, visit Zócalo on site in Fresno to discuss how to build a healthier healthcare workforce, moderated by KVPR News Director Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado. The event will be put on by Zócalo in partnership with The James Irvine Foundation and The Fresno Center.
WHAT:
IHSS provider and SEIU Local 2015 member Martha Valladarez, Public health professor Helda Pinzón-Perez, and healthcare workforce researcher Janette Dill, visit Zócalo on site in Fresno to discuss how to improve healthcare jobs as momentum builds behind proposed legislation like AB 1006 and AB 1672, the “Our Care Counts” bill.
WHY:
While agriculture consumes more land and gets more notice, healthcare employs more people and represents a bigger piece of Fresno’s economy. But just as access to healthcare is profoundly unequal, so are pay and working conditions in health jobs. And the pandemic and health facility closures, as with Madera Community Hospital, have added to the stresses and insecurities of working in health care.
Population projections from the California Department of Finance estimate that by 2050,18% of Fresno County residents, or 230,770 of 1,226,158, will be over the age of 65, making now a crucial time for IHSS workers to rally behind AB 1672—introduced by San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney back in February—in Fresno County and statewide.
How can we improve the security, work, and health of all workers in the healthcare industry—dietary, housekeepers, subcontractors—who see to our health? What ideas do workers themselves have for enhancing health care, both for patients and caregivers? And how can we elevate the importance of the fast-growing, lower-income jobs in this sector—like nursing assistants and home care workers?
Press Contacts:
DKC News
SEIU@dkcnews.com
Terry Carter
terryc@seiu2015.org
(805) 312-0024