Metropolitan Center for Independent Living
Report date
July 2020
What has been most instrumental to your progress?
The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living (MCIL) Community Innovation Personal Care Assistant (PCA) Project this past year had made significant progress in pursuit of solving the PCA worker shortage crisis. First there is a very real specific aspect to this work that first and foremost was instrumental in notably bringing people from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise together to form a Steering Committee for the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project. Most importantly we took the necessary time in refining an organizing principle that appealed to each stakeholder group in which members of the steering committee and therefore from the many communities, made the work their own. With each member of the steering committee we set forth one-to-one meetings in reviewing areas of major concerns about the PCA worker shortage crisis. We then invited input and insights that in many of the meetings conducted, resulted in refining the nature of the organizing principle. The organizing principle for this project is to work in creating a third tier to the current two-level PCA career lattice that elevates the career path, reimbursement and wages for Minnesota's 60,000 PCAs.
Community innovation work is often multsectoral. For the MCIL Steering Committee, there are areas of expertise by committee members that pertain to a specific areas of knowledge and skill. For instance one committee member brings profound knowledge in healthcare curriculum development in higher education. Other members bring leadership experience managing PCA companies. For PCAs who are committee members, they know first hand, the work and skills required to be a successful PCA. Another member brings the state administration and statutory background for the basis for Minnesota's PCA program, while still other steering committee members have life experience of employing PCAs for daily living, or are family members of those who employ PCAs. We developed an organizing tool that is a graphic we called 'Insight Mapping Ecosystem Analysis' (IMESA). This graphic identified the work that is needed to be address in each major sectoral area. We aligned the work of the steering committee sequentially, by sectoral areas graphically, so that all committee members can see where their areas of expertise align with the nature of the work before the entire Steering Committee keeping all engaged.
Key lessons learned
The MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project Steering Committee is preparing for the first-ever credit-based curriculum development session for a Certified PCA conducted by an institution of higher learning (Minnesota State) in the United States , which we plan to conduct by Fall 2020. This is an extraordinary development from our work in a one year time frame. Key lessons learned from this past year that has led to this better-than-expected result are the following: 1. Create an organizing principle that resonates to each stakeholder group in an actionable way. 2. The organizing principle is like a compass that points to 'true north.' Much of the work requires meticulous detail and engagement. It is easy to go deep into a subject areas and in order to not get lost, it is important to have a constancy of focus on the organizing principle, that is very helpful to guide the work of community innovation across many sectors. 3. Prepare a one page overview of the map that the work will navigate through and focus on the way points traveled. 4. Constantly be prepared in supporting a community innovation steering committee and adjust along the way as a result of the work of committee members.
Among the theoretical constructs that serve as the basis of the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project is that when a society invests in its people, it increases the productivity of the workforce and contributes to the economic vitality of its community. The United States invested in returning WW II veterans through the G.I. Bill, which arguably contributed to the creation of a $14 trillion U.S.economy. The World Confederation of the Productivity Sciences recognizes this premise and their adage as a world organization is 'peace and prosperity through productivity.' We have been seeking an economist who has profound knowledge and experience in assessing education, workforce development and its return on investment for a society, For our community innovation work, we specifically seek to look at the investment of the PCA workforce in Minnesota in becoming Certified PCAs by a workforce that has among the highest level of participation by women and by diverse communities of any sector in Minnesota. We are meeting with a number of economists and this area of unique expertise has been difficult to secure. However, we are pleased the U of M is interested this economic research.
Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving
Inclusive is the most important to the work of collectively solving the PCA crisis. Participants, PCAs, diverse representatives, members of the SEIU Union, Providers who manage PCAs, Community leaders, Higher Ed representatives and Government officials all are at the table and we constantly ask who else needs to be part of bringing forth solutions? The solutions to solving the PCA crisis requires working with stakeholders across multiple sectors. The Steering Committee members are actively engaged participants in this work and there is recognition that by working across sectors, in an inclusive manner, that we can get more done through this project. People with disabilities who rely upon PCAs and PCAs themselves have much to contribute in navigating solutions because people closest to the point of service delivery often have the most profound knowledge through their experience. Therefore the insights and input in an inclusive manner from these two primary audiences are critical and necessary to the success of how well we best understand creating real worable solutions that add value and address solving the PCA worker shortage crisis.
Other key elements of Community Innovation
The solutions for this project involves a multi-disciplinarity of buy-in and input from the constituents who are from across many sectors of our community. We created the Insight Mapping Eco-System Analysis (IMESA), a mapping vehicle that shows how this community innovation project has critical junctures in specific sectors in which innovative solutions are necessary to secure in a sequential manner in order for this project to be successful. One sector may have little to do with another sector, i.e. higher education in creating certified PCA curriculum, and a provider sector of agencies who manage PCAs in the delivery of PCA services. So how do you bring together individuals from these various sectors to work on the complexities that goes with this project? It was during start-up phase, explaining the pathway of solutions with potential steering committee members, that led to the creation of the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project Insight Mapping Eco-System Analysis. This one page graphic illustrates the four major sectors that this project endeavors to address in galvanizing solutions. It is literally a picture that is worth a thousand words. Yet we also have the detailed plan.
If you could do it all over again...
The one piece of advise I would give myself is the affirmation that it was truly better to carefully take the time needed to meet with each potential steering committee member in going through the elements of the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project. The communities we work with have been waiting for many years to have any solution to the PCA worker shortage crisis, and when MCIL received notification of The Bush Foundation Community Innovation award, there was considerable enthusiasm to start our work immediately and yet by meeting with each member of what became the Steering Committee, we helped to manage expectations and more importantly again input and insights on refining the work of this project. Though we had met with each person individually, we also took the time to have our first steering committee meeting become an orientation on the PCA worker shortage crisis and to provide an overview of the MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project. Why this is important to our work know is that we evidence great contribution and synergy of ideas at our meetings work working through complexity in maintaining clarity on project goals and how to get there as community.
One last thought
There is no one person or one organization that has all the answers to addressing the PCA worker shortage crisis. The MCIL Community Innovation PCA Project thus far has been a truly profound shared experience by stakeholders and by the communities affected by the crisis. This project has created voice for stakeholders and people who otherwise have experienced marginalization. This project has created a community space for so many people who otherwise most likely would not come together to actually be together and build upon ideas. This community innovation project in many ways is helping to re-create a sense of community, that by working together with a shared goal of where we want and need to get to, brings out the best of who we are as individuals and also as member of a civil society. Our greatest strength and value we hold true is namely; To advance the ability of people to care for one another. Thanks to the generosity of The Bush Foundation through community innovation, we are rediscovering this great strength and value of advancing the ability of people to not only care for one another, but to work together in solving complex community issues.