Atlanta-based Aveanna Healthcare will begin training Arizona family members to care for medically complex loved ones in their homes for pay. It’s part of a unique program the state signed into law last year.
Arizona’s Family Licensed Health Aide Program allows eligible parents, relatives and other loved ones to receive training and provide skilled care services under the guidance of a registered nurse case manager. Aveanna began taking part in the program earlier this month and will help family caregivers become licensed health aides.
“Parents and families need solutions to care for medically fragile family members, especially when home health care professionals are in such short supply,” Aveanna COO Jeff Shaner said in a statement. “With the ability to receive training and pay for the care they provide to loved ones, these caregivers will be better able to overcome the dilemma of having to balance the responsibilities of a job with the need to secure medical care for their family members at home.”
Arizona has become the third state behind Colorado and New Hampshire to offer caregiver training programs for family members. It is one of more than a dozen states to establish an advisory panel to recommend ways to train caregivers, offer better compensation and collect data on the direct care workforce. In 2020, the state also partnered with payers and healthcare providers on a survey with nonprofit PHI to better develop workforce solutions to address the caregiver crisis.
Avenana operates in 30 states and offers pediatric and adult healthcare services, including rehabilitation, therapy, home health and hospice services.
