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 December 2020
Ruth McEwen is the Chair of the Oregon Home Care Commission. She joined the Commission in 2015 as a representative of the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services, and later became a consumer of in-home services. Ruth is also the chair of the Senior Advisory Committee with NorthWest Senior & Disability Services (NWSDS). She has been an advocate with NWSDS for the past 36 years.
Ruth has a long history of advocating for people with disabilities. Ruth states, “I’ve lived this world all my life.” At three months old, Ruth was severely burned and injured in a house fire in 1945. While being rescued, she sustained a skull fracture and damage to her neck resulting in incomplete C-3 quadriplegia. Ruth’s mother passed away from smoke inhalation after rushing into the home to save Ruth.
Ruth began her advocacy work 39 years ago when the Oregon Disabilities Commission was created. She became involved with Disability Services Advisory Committees (DSACs) working with the legislature in 1989 to pass legislation creating DSACS. She worked on the transition team that brought people with disabilities from several agencies under one roof. Ruth is well known at the Oregon State Capitol. When the legislature is in session, she can be found at the capitol up to ten hours per week advocating and educating legislators. She regularly meets with the Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Director of Aging and People with Disabilities to talk about issues impacting older adults and people with disabilities.
Oregon is a pioneer when it comes to offering community-based services to older adults and people with disabilities. Ruth states, “People don’t realize where we came from and what the state looked like in the 1970’s.” According to Ruth, her greatest accomplishment was helping Oregon move away from the institutionalization of older adults and people with disabilities by offering community-based services. She worked closely with Dick Ladd, the first administrator of the Senior Services Division (now Aging and People with Disabilities), to help Oregon become one of the first states in the nation to offer community-based services.
Ruth holds degrees in accounting, human resources (associate degree), psychology (bachelor’s degree), and special education and counseling (master’s degree). Early in her professional career, she worked with and advocated for individuals experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. She taught special education, oversaw programs to protect the rights of residents at Spruce Villa and became chair of the board of directors, and worked at Rockwest Training Company. Ruth has also worked for and with Vocational Rehabilitation, and as a long-term care ombudsman visiting nursing facilities when the Office of the Oregon Long-Term Care Ombudsman was first created.
We are so fortunate to have Ruth as a commissioner and applaud her advocacy work.
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 OHCC’s new Customer Relations Unit
OHCC has a unit dedicated to supporting homecare and personal support workers with payment issues, complaints, accommodation requests, accessing benefits, and earning OHCC certifications. The team is passionate about helping others and finding the best possible solution to any issue. Think of them as part of your team.
Meet the team!
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Hani Ghamrawi leads the Customer Relations unit. He comes to OHCC from Self-Sufficiency and brings a wealth of experience with him. Hani has an engineering background but found that working in social services was his passion. In addition to English, Hani is fluent in Spanish and Arabic. He loves cooking, traveling, and history. |
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Melanie Ewell is the go-to-person for OHCC certifications and PPE requests. Melanie comes to OHCC from the Secretary of State’s office and has a history of serving her community. She has two daughters and two grandchildren. |
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Miguel Cordova comes to OHCC with eight years of customer relations experience. In addition to English, Miguel is fluent in Spanish. He has always enjoyed helping people and finding solutions to problems. Miguel roots for the Portland Trailblazers and has a cat named Lion. |
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Abdirizak Ahmed comes to OHCC by way of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Ethiopia where he worked with refugees from East Africa (Somali, Eritrean, and South Sudanese). He prefers to be called by his last name, Ahmed. In addition to English, he speaks Somali and Amharic. He enjoys working at OHCC because he can help support people reach their potential. Ahmed is a father of five children. |
 A shout-out to APD/AAA/CDDP offices
OHCC would like thank APD/AAA local office staff for helping consumers and providers stay safe by fulfilling 3,500 requests for personal protective equipment (PPE)! Not only did they serve homecare workers, APD/AAA offices went above and beyond by fulfilling PPE requests for personal support workers, too.
We also want to thank the Washington and Multnomah County CDDPs for their support in delivering PPE to personal support workers.
Everyone pulled together during the COVID-19 pandemic to make safety a priority for everyone and offices continue to fulfill requests. Thank you for your dedication and hard work.
 What you need to know about Senate Bill (SB) 1534
SB 1534 passed during the 2018 legislative session and makes training and testing mandatory for all homecare and personal support workers. Training becomes mandatory in the fall of 2021. Required training will be provided by Carewell SEIU 503 Training. OHCC will continue to provide all voluntary trainings, OHCC certifications, and CPR/First Aid.
Carewell launched a training pilot in September 2020 and it will be available in all counties by the end of the year. Homecare and personal support workers who participate in the pilot will be given training credit when training becomes mandatory.
To learn more about SB 1534, please visit our website. Take a moment to read Frequently Asked Questions About Required Trainings and the Timeline for Required Training for Homecare and Personal Support Workers.
OHCC is seeking applicants from diverse backgrounds to fill vacant Consumer-Commissioner positions. This is a great opportunity for those who want to help guide the Commission to ensure the high quality of in-home services for older adults and people with disabilities.
To be considered for this position, an individual must be an older adult or a person experiencing a disability who is receiving Medicaid or OPI in-home services.
Commissioners are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to serve a three-year term as one of nine Oregon Home Care Commission Commissioners. They are paid to represent the Commission on various committees and workgroups that may affect consumers of in-home services provided by homecare and personal support workers, and the workers themselves.
The Commission meets the first Thursday of the month and individuals can participate electronically or by calling-in. Interpreters are available.
If you know a consumer who may be interested in serving, please ask them to contact Nancy Sodeman by calling 503-559-8677 or sending an email to Nancy.D.Sodeman@dhsoha.state.or.us
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There are several resources and benefits available to homecare workers, personal support workers, and personal care attendants during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes access to protective personal equipment (PPE), COVID-19 hardship paid time off, CARES paid time off, and the National COVID-Ready Caregiver Certification Course. Visit the OHCC's Health and Safety website for more information, and to learn about other health and safety resources for the workforce.
Workers who have question about what to do if exposed to COVID-19 while working should reach out to OHCC's Customer Relations Unit at OHCC.CustomerRelations@dhsoha.state.or.us.
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