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July 7, 2015
White House Conference on Aging is Next Monday
The 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA) is next Monday, July 13th. Consumer Voice Leadership Council Chair Brian Capshaw will be representing Consumer Voice at the conference (see sidebar). We have learned that NCCNHR Founder Elma Holder and Leadership Council Member Anne Montgomery of the Altarum Institute will also be in attendance.
Events leading up to the WHCOA began last year. During the 2014 Consumer Voice Annual Conference, Kathy Greenlee, Administrator of the Administration for Community Living/Assistant Secretary for Aging, and Nora Super, Executive Director of the WHCOA, participated in a listening session where residents and consumers described their experiences in facilities and with long-term care services and supports.
Brian Capshaw, Kathy Greenlee and Nora Super at the WHCOA Listening Session at the 2014 Consumer Voice Annual Conference
Leading up to the conference, WHCOA launched a series of policy briefs on its four topic areas: healthy aging, long-term services and supports, elder justice and retirement security. WHCOA invited comments on the briefs and Consumer Voice provided input on Long-Term Services and Supports and Elder Justice. Additionally, regional forums were held across the country where Consumer Voice recommended participants who attended.
As the conference approaches, WHCOA encourages individuals and organizations to participate in a variety of ways including sharing your story, hosting or attending a watch party, and participating on Twitter with #WHCOA.
Watch the livestream of the WHCOA on July 13th at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
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Staffing Bill Passes in Washington State
Last week, Washington's state legislature passed a nursing home rate methodology reform bill in which safe staffing is included. The new law (Section 7) will require facilities to provide 3.4 hours per resident day (hprd) of direct, hands-on care, with the intention of scaling up to 4.1 hprd in the future. The law also includes a new enforcement system based on facility census and payroll data and institutes new penalties for non-compliance. Read the bill.
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Center for Public Integrity Investigation Receives National Press Club Award
The Center for Public Integrity's investigation of nursing home quality has won the Joseph D. Ryle Award for Excellence in Writings on the Problems of Geriatrics from the 2015 National Press Club journalism contest. Jeff Kelly Lowenstein's "Understaffed and Underserved: A Look Inside America's Nursing Homes" investigated irregularities in the staffing levels reported by nursing homes to a federal website used by consumers. The series also reported on government (HUD) financing of low-rated nursing homes, and revealed that nursing homes serving minorities were offering less care than those serving whites. For more information, click here.
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25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
July is the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA helps protect the rights of people with disabilities in five key areas: employment, state and local government facilities and services, public accomodations, telecommunications and transportation. The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimintion and allows them to fully participate in the workforce and their communities. Disability.gov is inviting advocates to celebrate the 25th anniversary using #DgovADA25 and to use thier social media toolkit to join in the celebration on social media. Throughout the month, Disability.Blog will feature special guest posts from individuals who played a role in the ADA's history and those advocating today.
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Consumer Voice Signs Onto Letter Supporting HCBS Settings Rule
Note: Consumer Voice regularly supports advocacy measures initiated by other organizations that advance long-term care consumer interests. Here is a summary of one measure we officially endorsed.
Consumer Voice recently signed on to a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell supporting the Department's Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule. The letter calls for: protecting Medicaid funding since it is increasingly being directed to HCBS programs that are cost-effective and help people with disabilities and seniors living in their communities; supporting the additional $2.8 million in funding requested by CMS for FY 2016 to provide states with much needed technical assistance from the agency for the rule's implementation; and defending against policies or changes to the HCBS rule that would hinder accomplishing the spirit and goal of the rule to provide quality community services.
The letter supports the release of the most recent guidance "FAQs: Home and Community-based Settings Requirements, June 26, 2015" which provides stakeholders with guidance on the development of transition plans to bring states’ systems into compliance. The letter also commends HHS for collaborating with other federal agencies like CMS, the Administration for Community Living, the Office of Civil Rights and the Department of Justice to move forward the implementation of the HCBS Settings Rules. Read the full letter here.
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Early Registration for the Consumer Voice Annual Conference Ends This Friday
Be sure to register for the conference by this Friday, July 10th to receive $60 off your conference registration!
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Register Now!
The Consumer Voice Annual Conference is back in 2015 - we are very excited about this year's program! Check out our website for agenda highlights, and be on the lookout for more information as session topics and speakers are finalized.
At the 2015 Conference, you will enjoy:
- One-on-one dialogue with consumers of long-term services and supports.
- The latest policy updates directly from key experts at the federal level.
- Learning about best practices nationwide.
- Attending skills trainings and acquire tools and resources.
- Specific information and takeaways to help you put your systems or individual advocacy into action!
Register before July 10 and save $60 with our Early Bird rate. Plus, save even more with a group discount!
Room rates are as low as $194/night. Click here for accommodation information.
Interested in becoming a conference sponsor? Learn more here.
Questions? Contact us at info@theconsumervoice.org
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Briefly Noted...
- Reminder! We are now accepting bulk orders (25+) of Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There. Email info@theconsumervoice.org if you are interested. Bulk orders must be received by July 31st.
Spotlight on Giving: 40th Anniversary Special Gifts Campaign
A critical focus of the Consumer Voice board of directors is ensuring that the organization is able to address effectively the long-term care challenges affecting people today and in the years ahead. A key focus is to fully fund Consumer Voice public policy and advocacy initiatives which are critical at a time like now when new rules are being written and when cost pressures further threaten the commitment to quality, person-centered care and the rights of long-term care consumers. The board has started the year with its own fundraising campaign seeking double the level of annual contributions from each member and now it is reaching out to all members of the Consumer Voice constituency to ask that each person consider making a special contribution to the organization this year. Contributions can be made online here, monthly, as a gift of stock, in recognition of an individual, organization, or in other ways. To discuss your gift and how you would like it recognized, please contact Richard Gelula at rgelula@theconsumervoice.org or (202) 332-2275 x209. And for more information about the 40th Anniversary Campaign, click here.
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Spotlight on Educational Resources
The Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center have a multitude of resources available online covering a wide range of long-term care topics. Visit the Consumer Voice website and the NORC website to explore all the available resources. Take a look at this week's highlighted resource:
LGBT Elders Issue Page - This page on NORC's website provides a variety of resources on LGBT Aging. Resources include an introduction to LGBT Aging, inclusive questions for older adults from SAGE, CMS guidance on same-sex spouses and much more.
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In this Issue
White House Conference on Aging is Next Monday
Staffing Bill Passes in Washington State
Center for Public Integrity Investigation Receives National Press Club Award
25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Consumer Voice Signs Onto Letter Supporting HCBS Settings Rule
Early Registration for the Consumer Voice Annual Conference Ends This Friday!
Briefly Noted...
Spotlight on Giving: 40th Anniversary Special Gifts Campaign
Spotlight on Educational Resources
4.1 It CAN Be Done!
As part of our nursing home staffing campaign, Better Staffing: The Key to Better Care, Consumer Voice is advocating for a minimum of 4.1 hours of nursing care per resident per day. To show your support of this campaign, individuals can send us a photo with the slogan "4.1 - It CAN Be Done" by tweeting us pictures @ConsumerVoices, posting on our Facebook or emailing your photos to info@theconsumervoice.org. Get the word out and encourage consumers to participate by sending in their photos too!
Calendar of Events
Tuesday, July 28: Identifying, Preventing and Responding to Bullying in Long-Term Care Facilities, 3:00pm ET, Webinar from NORC
Thursday, August 27: How to Grow, Support, and Activate Your Network, Advocacy skills training webinar from the Consumer Voice
October: Residents' Rights Month, CARE Matters
November 4-7, 2015: Consumer Voice 39th Annual Conference, Crystal City, Virginia
Special Appeal - Help Send Brian Capshaw to the White House Conference on Aging
Consumer Voice is contributing to the expense of having Brian Capshaw attend the White House Conference on Aging. Please watch Brian's short video and consider making a contribution here (choose White House Conference Fund).
Join the conversation and follow us on social media!
Last Week's Most Popular Post:
Tuesday, June 30:
We need your help in passing H.R. 952, the Put a Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act!
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Thursday, July 2:
Important to understand #FLSA history, overtime rule, and why the threshold needs to be raised
Long-Term Care Resources & News
Read past issues of The Voice here.
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