NC New Organizational Vision Award (NC NOVA): Retaining Direct Care Workers

North Carolina has created a first-in-the-nation program to help reduce the turnover of nurse aides and other direct care workers who provide hands-on care to hundreds of thousands of the state’s elderly and disabled.

What is the NC NOVA award?

The NC NOVA award recognizes providers who actively support and empower their direct care workforce through commitment to:

  • a culture of balanced workloads
  • training and career development opportunities for staff and
  • appreciation for the essential role of front-line staff in providing quality long-term care

NC NOVA is a special licensure designation awarded by the North Carolina Division of Facility Services to nursing facilities, adult care homes and home care agencies that meet the new voluntary higher standards for workplace culture. NC NOVA was established under a national Better Jobs Better Care (BJBC) grant to the North Carolina Foundation for Advanced Health Program.

North Carolina legislature passed the first NC NOVA state licensure program in the nation and identified the program as a potential national model for replication to improve direct care workforce recruitment and retention.

Purpose: To reduce high vacancy and turnover rates among direct care workers in home health and long-term care, thus improving the quality of care.

The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME) manages the determination process for this project. CCME recommends facilities to receive the North Carolina New Organizational Vision Award (NC NOVA) designation. Facilities awarded this designation may be eligible to receive higher state payment rates.

Application Process: Applications can by obtained from the NC DHHS web site.

Applications can be completed electronically or manually and sent to CCME. A review of the application’s supporting documents is completed first. Then CCME conducts an onsite review to meet and interview direct care workers, peer mentors and supervisors.

CCME recommends facilities that comply with the criteria to The Division of Facility Services for licensure award.

For more information on NC NOVA, please visit: http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/ltc/bjobcare.htm or http://www.ncnova.org.