HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — State leaders announced Monday that they’re launching a new grant program to enhance safety and security for home health care workers.
“The role of the home health care aide is more important now than it was a few years ago, and it will be more important five years from now than it is now,” state Sen. Martin Looney (D-District 11) said.
The bipartisan initiative dedicates $6 million in American Rescue Plan funds and includes new training programs for home health care workers, emergency response buttons, a reporting hotline, implementing a buddy escort system in high-risk areas and GPS monitoring.
The video below aired on Aug. 5.
“We are not only protecting our dedicated health care workers, we are also ensuring that clients have the highest quality care in the safest possible environment,” Connecticut Department of Social Services Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said.
Leaders said caregivers serve some of the most vulnerable in the community, while exposed to risks and dangerous challenges.
State Sen. Saud Anwar (DDistrict 3) said that 65% of home health care workers have been verbally abused, 44% physically abused and 6% sexually abused.
Home health care agencies can apply for the grant program starting Aug. 7, and it goes into effect Oct. 1.
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This all comes following the death of Joyce Grayson, a visiting nurse who was killed in October 2023 while treating a client in Willimantic.
“[The new program is] the right thing to do for Joyce and her family and all our home health care workers,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “We’ve got to show that we take seriously your safety every day.”
Kelly Reardon, the Grayson family’s attorney, said safety measures are crucial.
“If Joyce Grayson was given an emergency alert button or GPS tracker by her employer, it is very likely she would be alive today,” Reardon said. “These inexpensive devices should be available to all home health workers in Connecticut. The Grayson family is pleased that the State is now offering grant funding to assist home health care companies in purchasing these products. However, the funding should go to the small companies and agencies that truly need financial assistance in order to protect the safety of their employees – not the large conglomerates that can afford to purchase these types of devices but have chosen not to in order to increase profits.”
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