Tuesday, May 13, 2008
NEWS
Georgia's Quality Care Network Launched
The RCI, in conjunction with the Georgia CARE-NETs, is scheduling statewide training on Evidence Based Programs (EBP) as the first joint effort of the “Georgia Quality Care Network.” At the December 10 meeting of the CARE-NETs in Macon, Dr. Richard Birkel, Executive Director, outlined the case for implementing evidence-based caregiver programs and detailed four programs that could potentially be implemented in Georgia after comprehensive training. Liaisons for the twelve Georgia CARE-NETs will provide the RCI with input from their district on which programs best meet their needs. The RCI will schedule Spring and Fall ’08 training sessions. Experts who specialize in conducting the EBP will provide the training.
As part of the EBP discussion, Amy Tribble, Director of State Initiatives, announced that the RCI would be conducting an online survey of key providers in aging, disabilities and chronic illness care throughout Georgia to measure their current familiarity and usage of evidence based programs.
“We’ll review the results of the provider survey before finalizing training plans,” Tribble said. “Our goal is to get input from caregiving leaders to determine their level of readiness to adopt these programs.”
This training is funded by a grant from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. The grant is part of a major workforce development initiative launched by the Healthcare Georgia Foundation to improve the skills and effectiveness of both paid caregivers (e.g. home health aides) and family caregivers in Georgia.