Community Provider Network of RI Receives Advocacy Award from RI Foundation
Wednesday, January 08, 2020
The Community Provider Network of Rhode Island (CPNRI) received the Advocacy Award from the Rhode Island Foundation.
The organization received the award for its work leading the Stable Workforce, Stable Lives public education campaign.
“These activities are examples of the robust community organizing and advocacy strategy that CPNRI developed and implemented to address the workforce crisis. To accomplish its goals, CPNRI further activated member agencies’ and formed partnerships with disability-focused organizations to establish the Disability Rights Action Coalition – an intersectional coalition advocating in support of disability issues in Rhode Island,” said Tina Spears, executive director of CPNRI.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRI Foundation’s award program recognizes outstanding practices by Rhode Island nonprofit organizations in the areas of Advocacy, Leadership, Collaboration, Innovation, and Volunteer Engagement.
CPNRI’s Program
CPNRI’s program led to a $.91 cent wage increase for Direct Support Professionals (DSP) who support Rhode Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in the community.
The Stable Workforce, Stable Lives campaign included community forums; developing and releasing six advocacy videos; producing a policy brief outlining relevant data and priorities; and publishing an advocacy guide to prepare new leaders for meetings with policymakers.
“The workforce crisis is snowballing nationwide, with an average annual turnover of 45 percent for front-line staff supporting individuals with disabilities to live in the community. Multiple agencies in our network had persistent vacancy rates of over 20 percent in 2017, following national trends. Inadequate and stagnant. These systemic failures to establish Medicaid rates that fund a living wage significantly threaten the system of care for Rhode Islanders with disabilities, and ultimately, the well-being of individuals with disabilities,” said Spears.
CPNRI’s advocacy and educational campaign helped to draw the attention of the Administration and the General Assembly to the crisis, ultimately leading to crucial investment to increase wages for DSPs in the state’s fiscal 2020 budget.
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