George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis and the resulting national uprisings have raised awareness of racial inequality in America. A Health Affairs blog appearing Thursday suggests two ways home care operators can make a difference for their female direct care workers of color: better pay and career opportunities.
The blog cites a recent study that found that about half of Black and Latina female direct care workers earn less than $15 per hour, whereas only one in 10 has health insurance coverage through an employer. The four authors noted that increasing the minimum wage to $15 would reduce household poverty rates among female healthcare workers by more than a quarter.
Enhancing career opportunities for direct care workers within organizations was cited as a second possible remedy.“It is important for health systems to go beyond verbal and written statements and act to bring about meaningful and impactful change,” the authors added. The full blog can be seen here.
