Thank you to the dozens of home care caregivers and office employees that joined Hearts for Home Care in Columbia, SC last week for a successful Advocacy Day! Your voice matters to the hundreds of home care clients and caregivers across South Carolina who cannot be there to share their own voice. Meeting with lawmakers with your stories, experiences, and challenges ensures that they think about home care when they are making budget and policy decisions.

This year, advocates asked lawmakers to invest $4.8 million in state funds to support SC’s personal care services (PCS) and private duty nursing (PDN) programs. And not only did H4HC advocates meet with over 30 legislators in the state house—but they managed to share their message on TV news as well! WACH Fox 57 reporter Clara Faith joined advocates to learn more about what Hearts for Home Care represents, and what BAYADA wanted to communicate with State lawmakers.

BAYADA director Jenni Cairns shared that a lack of a funding increase in this year’s State budget, “would leave many families without care…. It’s important [for lawmakers] to understand that these increases will help us” to care for more families that need this care.

“I like the care that I give to clients in their homes. They wouldn’t be able to stay at home with their families—their loved ones, and they wouldn’t fare as well in a facility,” said long-time field nurse Millie M. during her interview with Fox.

Sharing our home care stories with members of the media ensures that our message to lawmakers is reinforced—and that the public learns about home care and understands its importance too. WACH Fox 57 aired the Advocacy Day story during the 5:00 news hour, ensuring that thousands of area families heard the message too! Below, find photos from the day, and be sure to follow Hearts for Home Care on Facebook, X, and Instagram to see additional photos and to learn what else you can do to get involved.