History
The New Mexico Caregivers Coalition (NMCC) was created to
advocate for and support paid professional caregivers as well as family caregivers.
In 2008, a series of Listening Sessions were held in all regions of New Mexico, in which caregivers were asked to share information and solutions that would contribute to overcoming personal and professional challenges. These sessions served as a basis for obtaining valuable information across all regions of New Mexico, and they also served as the basis for establishing foundational programs of NMCC. Traveling to these locations was important, so organizers could support caregivers’ interests, and so caregivers could feel free to respond to the creation of an organization dedicated solely to their needs.
Planning and infrastructure development was paid for through seed funding by the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. Following the Listening Sessions, 2009 began with a calendar of community events, induction of a first Board of Directors, and leadership development and training for members.
Today, the New Mexico Caregivers Coalition is led by a Board representative of all regions of New Mexico, the various occupations within the field, and the populations served by caregivers.
Direct care workers’ salaries nationally and in New Mexico are often below the median area income. The average hourly wage of a New Mexico home health care aide was $9.51/hour in 2018. Thanks to state leadership, our Governor and Legislature increased the minimum wage beginning in 2019. At the same time, NMCC advocated for and won changes to state law such that caregivers came under minimum wage and overtime protections.
Many caregivers work two jobs, and frequently still may not earn enough to pay for health insurance. NMCC reaches thousands of New Mexicans. Reaching out to this hard-working and somewhat isolated group of workers, NMCC will provide literacy, job training, and professional education so they may earn higher salaries and advance their careers.