The Care Team Integration of the Home-Based Workforce project seeks to improve health and satisfaction, and lower utilization costs by developing and introducing an untapped resource into the health care system – the personal home care aide (PHCA). 

PHCAs are in a unique position with respect to high-risk in-home supportive services (IHSS) consumers. This project leverages PHCAs’ potential to reduce avoidable hospitalizations by training PHCAs to assume a more active and integrated role in their IHSS consumers’ health care teams. Working in collaboration with the California Long-Term Care Education Center (CLTCEC), UCSF will evaluate the PHCA training program: quality, knowledge, skills and abilities learned, and integration of the PHCA with their consumers’ health care team, as well as cost-savings, utilization of the ER, and avoidable hospitalizations.