North Carolina § 131E-154 - 12. Title; purpose.

§ 131E-154. 12. Title; purpose.

This Part shall be known as the "North Carolina New Organizational Vision Award (NC NOVA) Special Licensure Designation." The purpose of this Part is to establish special licensure designation requirements for nursing homes and home care agencies licensed pursuant to this Chapter and adult care homes licensed pursuant to Article 1 of Chapter 131D of the General Statutes. Application for the Special Licensure Designation is voluntary. History (2006-104, s. 1.) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2006-104, provides in its preamble: "Whereas, 'direct care workers' is a nationally recognized term referring to those paraprofessionals that are employed as nurse aides, personal care aides, personal care attendants, home health aides, in-home aides, habilitation aides, and other assistive personnel who provide hands-on care; and "Whereas, direct care workers are essential to the provision of care and an enhanced quality of life for long-term care consumers, whether they are receiving services provided in a home or community setting, or in a residential or institutional setting; and "Whereas, North Carolina, like many states, is experiencing shortages of direct care workers; and "Whereas, the need to attract and retain greater numbers of employees within this occupational category will continue for the foreseeable future; and "Whereas, a well-qualified, satisfied, stable, and adequate supply of direct care workers is a shared concern for employers, employees, consumers, families, and private and public payors of long-term care services received in home care agencies, adult care homes, and nursing facilities; and "Whereas, long-term care trade associations, providers, direct care workers, consumer advocacy organizations, researchers, the Department of Health and Human Services, and The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence have worked together to develop a voluntary and comprehensive workplace culture change program known as the North Carolina New Organizational Vision Award (NC NOVA) to address known causes of direct care turnover for the purpose of improving the adequacy, stability, satisfaction, and quality of the direct care work; and "Whereas, NC NOVA has been identified as a potential national model for replication to improve direct care workforce retention through a comprehensive and voluntary workplace culture program by the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, the program office for the national Better Jobs Better Care initiative funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and The Atlantic Philanthropies; Now, therefore, The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:"