Better Health Care Starts with Better Health Care Jobs
The Industry Needs Higher Wages, More Paid Leave, and Pathways to Advancement
The most important healthcare workers in this country—entry-level workers who do the caregiving and provide preventive services—are often paid poverty-level wages and provided insufficient benefits and supports, said panelists at a Fresno event in the statewide Zócalo Public Square series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” As a result, the panelists said, there aren’t enough such workers. So, improving health care should start with improving caregiving and other entry-level health care jobs—with higher wages, better benefits like paid leave and health insurance, and career pathways that allow nurse assistants, for …
