Welcome to the Public Authority for In Home Supportive Services Web Site
Public Authority for In-Home Supportive
Services (IHSS) in Alameda County.
6955 Foothill Blvd., Suite 300, Oakland CA
94605
(Located at Eastmont Town Center)
Voice: 510-577-3552 - TDD: 510-577-3549 -
FAX: 510-577-3579
Web Site:
www.ac-pa4ihss.org
What is IHSS?
In-Home
Supportive Services (IHSS) is the program administered by the County that helps
disabled and elderly people who need assistance with personal care or house work
to remain safely in their own homes with independence and dignity.
IHSS
pays homecare workers (also called personal assistants or providers) to do household tasks, such as cooking, shopping
and housecleaning and personal care,
such as help with bathing and getting dressed.
To be
eligible for IHSS, you must meet both income and disability requirements. If
you are an Alameda County resident and want to find out if you are eligible for
IHSS, call the IHSS INTAKE at 510 577-1900.
What
is the Public Authority?
The
Public Authority for IHSS is a public agency whose purpose is to make the IHSS
program in Alameda County work better for consumers and home care
workers/personal assistants. The Public Authority provides services and also
gives consumers a voice in how IHSS services are provided.
What
can the Public Authority do for home care workers and for consumers who use
home care services?
The
Public Authority contracts with community agencies in Alameda County to provide
registry services to seniors paying privately and to IHSS
consumers who need help finding and hiring a personal assistant or home care
worker. Consumers can call one of the offices listed below and ask for a list
of screened workers matched to their needs and preferences.
Workers
can call a registry office to apply to be listed on the registry.
The
Public Authority also contracts with Nightingale Nursing to provide Rapid Response, an emergency service for
IHSS consumers in Alameda County who have an urgent need for a replacement IHSS worker. Call Rapid Response anytime, 24 hour a day,
at 510 357-4222. For more information or to see if you might qualify for Rapid Response, go to the Rapid Response page on this web site.
Public
Authority services are provided at no cost to consumers and workers.
Where
can I get help locating an IHSS or home care worker in Alameda County?
Under a contract with the Public Authority for IHSS in
Alameda County, all the agencies below provide Registry services (names of
screened workers) to IHSS recipients (also called consumers).
Five of the agencies (CIL and Family Bridges are
excluded) also are under contract with the Public Authority to provide names of
screened home care workers to seniors who will be paying privately.
Public
Authority Centralized Registry Agencies
Seniors who are paying
privately (from their own money) and IHSS consumers can call one of
the Registry agencies below to request the names of screened home care workers. “Seniors”
phone numbers above are for those paying privately
2147 Broadway IHSS
& Seniors - 510-271-6078
Oakland, CA
94612 and 510-271-6079
Center
for Independent Living (CIL)
2539 Telegraph Avenue IHSS only 510-841-4776
Berkeley,
CA 94704 TDD 510-848-3101
and
610-16th St.
Ste-419 IHSS only 510-763-9999
Oakland, CA
94612 TDD 510-444-1837
Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL)
439 “A” Street Seniors & IHSS 510-881-5743
Hayward, CA
94541 TDD 510-881-0218
168 11th Street IHSS only 510-839-2022
Oakland, CA
94607
Public Authority Registry in Fremont
3300-B Capitol Avenue IHSS 510-574-2096
Fremont, CA
94537-5006 Seniors 510-574-2095
(service
also available in Spanish)
1435 Grove Way IHSS 510-581-9499
Hayward, CA
94546 Seniors
510-881-0300
5353 Sunol Blvd. IHSS 925-931-5384
Pleasanton, CA
94566 Seniors 925-931-5380
Training Opportunities for IHSS Home Care Workers
The following workshops are
offered quarterly rotating among Oakland, Hayward, Fremont and
Pleasanton. To place yourself on the mailing list for receiving notice
about upcoming workshops, call 510-577-3554 or e-mail Linda Ayala at lsayala@ac-pa4ihss.org.
Skills
for Finding Work as a Personal Assistant for IHSS
Learn who employs
IHSS workers, what job duties you might perform, how to be successful in an
interview, and how to negotiate a job agreement.
Nuts
& Bolts of IHSS
Learn how to
enroll in the IHSS as a personal assistant, how to fill out a timesheet
correctly, what benefits you are eligible to receive and where to go with
problems or questions.
Communication
Skills for IHSS Workers & Consumers
Learn the art of
active listening and how to state your on-the-job needs; nurture empathy for
the consumer; and discover creative ways of dealing with difficult
communication situation.
The following workshops are offered once a
year in collaboration with Alameda Alliance for Health and SEIU Local 616.
First Aid & CPR
Learn how to
prevent, prepare for and respond to workplace emergencies. Participants receive
certification for successful completion of the course. First Aid is
offered in the Spring and CPR in the Fall.
All materials are translated into Spanish
and Chinese. Interpretation is provided into these languages
as well as Farsi.
Universal Precautions
Homecare workers
learn how to prevent the spread of disease on the job through simple practices
like hand washing and using gloves when appropriate.
Ergonomics: Preventing Aches and Pains on the Job
Homecare workers
learn how to identify risks on the job, find ways to prevent injury, and how to
address their concerns with their consumers.
Training Opportunities for IHSS Consumers
For more information on
training opportunities for IHSS consumers, call 510/577-3554.
Consumer Video
The video, "A Consumer
Guide to IHSS: Building Bridges to Independence and Dignity"
is available for Consumers to introduce them to IHSS, the assessment
process, and hiring and managing home care workers. The video is 24
minutes long. The video is available to borrow for private viewing by
consumers and family members. We are also available to show the video and
facilitate a discussion with IHSS consumers or potential consumers at local
senior centers or community residences.
Consumer Handbook
A Consumer Guide to IHSS: Building
Bridges to Independence and Dignity is also available,
free of charge to IHSS consumers. This guide offers information
found in the video and more as well as sample forms and important phone
numbers.
Public Authority Advisory Board
The Public Authority Advisory Board of Alameda
County meets monthly to offer
recommendations on policy related to the Public Authority and In-Home
Supportive Services in Alameda County. The majority of its members are
IHSS consumers.
Current Advisory Board Officers & Members:
Public Authority Advisory Board Officers: Kathleen
Collins (Chair), Jan Schiller (Vice-Chair), Jim Gonsalves (Secretary),
Alice Moore (Treasurer).
Public Authority Advisory Board Members: Brenda
Blannon, Blane Beckwith, Jim Gonsalves, Henrietta Pratt, Alice Moore, Marlene
Petersen, Janet Monks, Jan Schiller, Anthony Wilson, Lynn McMullen, Kathleen
Collins.
The meetings of the Advisory Board are open to the
public. The main Advisory Board meeting is usually held the first
Thursday of each month (except August) from 1:30 - 3:30 pm at 6955
Foothill Blvd, Suite 300, Oakland CA. Other sub-committee meetings of the
Advisory Board and their usual meeting times are listed below. Since
meeting times sometimes change, we suggest you call before attending.
For more information, call 510-577-3552.
Program Services Committee
- 3rd Friday at 11:00 am
Operations and Coordination
Committee - 3rd Friday at 1:30 pm
Legislative Committee - scheduled as needed
Finance Committee - scheduled as needed
Bylaws Committee - scheduled as needed
Recruitment Committee - scheduled as needed