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December 3, 2009 |
Vol 17, Issue 1 |
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Welcome to this week's edition of the FAHSA
Link.
Support the National CLASS Call-in
TODAY -- AAHSA, AARP and a number
of aging and disability groups have planned
a Senate call-in day today to support the
Community Living Assistance Services and
Supports (CLASS) plan; with a message to
keep the CLASS plan in the Senate bill. AAHSA
is anticipating that an amendment will be
removed because of the recent concerns about
long-range costs if the proposed payroll
deduction for long-term care remains an
option rather than a mandate.
Please call 1-800-944-6723 and tell your
senator (Bill Nelson and George LeMieux) to
keep the CLASS plan in the Senate bill.
When calling, they will ask for your zip
code, and then refer your call to one of the
Senator's offices. Below is a sample script
to use when calling.
Hello. I am calling to ask Senator
___________________ to make sure the CLASS
Act remains in the final health reform
legislation. People need help accessing the
long-term services and supports that help
them remain independent and at home. The
CLASS Act is an affordable, accessible and
fiscally-solvent way to provide these
services and reduce Medicaid costs at the
same time. Can we count on Senator
___________________ for his/her support?
Special Session Convened on
Developing High Speed Rail -- A
special session has been convened to pass a
$2.1 billion SunRail Commuter Train System
linking Deland and Poinciana and to locate
$27 million in operating costs for the
ailing Tri-Rail Commuter System in South
Florida. The special session, scheduled
from December 3rd through 11th, is a last
ditch effort by Governor Crist and
legislative leaders to do what's necessary
to receive up to $2.5 billion dollars from
the federal government to fund "shovel
ready" rail projects. Current plans would
create the Florida Rail Enterprise to
oversee the state's passenger rail systems.
If all goes as planned, a vote will be
taken on a bill early next week.
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District and Membership News |
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FMDA Installs New Board --
Florida Medical Directors Association (FMDA)
recently installed a new board of directors-Dr.
Hugh Thomas, President and Dr. Carl Suchar,
Chairman of the board. Drs. Thomas and Suchar
have had very influential roles in the shaping
of FMDA. Other officers installed included John
Symeonides, MD, CMD, as Vice-president; and
Daniel Fortier, MD, CMD, as Secretary/Treasurer;
as well as five Directors: Karl Dhana, MD, CMD;
Victor Gambone, MD, CMD; Leonard Hock, DO, CMD;
Naushira Pandya, MD, CMD; and Rhonda Randal, DO.
Congratulations to their new board!
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Education News
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Register Now for FAHSA's 2nd Leadership
Academy - The first two-day onsite
meeting of the 2nd Leadership Academy class will
begin on March 25 and 26 in conjunction with
FAHSA's Legislative Workshop in Tallahassee.
Download a copy of the
brochure and register today. This is
a great course - but don't just take our word -
please read the comments below from a few of the
current participants:
Tina Corbett, Care Plan Coordinator,
Lodge at Cypress Cove, commented that the
program was organized, thorough and
well-presented; definitely worthwhile!
Jerome Bivens, Dining Service Director,
Westminster Suncoast, said, "The sessions
were awesome and I am taking away so many
things that will help me start new programs
or improve on getting results from current
programs." Jerome believes that he will
become a better leader and improve the
success of all those around him after
attending this course.
Lisa Lyons, Controller, St. Joseph's John
Knox Village, noted that the instructor's
presentation style and context was very
enlightening and entertaining. Her personal
interjection made the course most useful and
she allowed the participants to express
ideas and gave solid solutions to common
problems.
Upcoming Educational Events:
- December 10, 2009 -- CCRC
Benchmarking Webinar - 10:00am to
11:00am
- December 10, 2009 -- Unemployment
Tax and Workers' Compensation Webinar -
2:00pm to 3:30pm
- January 12-15, 2010 FAHSA Winter
Regional Meeting - Topic: Workforce Issues
(details to come)
- January 12 - Covenant Village,
Plantation
- January 13 - Pymouth Harbor on Sarasota
Bay, Sarasota
- January 14 - Waterman Village, Mt. Dora
- January 15 - Advent Christian Village,
Dowling Park
- January 19, 2010 -- Affirmative Fair
Housing Marketing Plans Webinar -
2:00pm to 3:00pm
- January 20, 2010 -- MDS 3.0 Webinar
- January 26 & 27, 2010 -- FAHSA Board
of Trustees and Public Policy Meeting,
Boca Raton Resort
- February, 16, 2010 -- Detecting
Abuse and the Abuse Hotline Webinar
- February 25, 2010 -- CNA Train the
Trainer, Orlando
- March 16, 2010 -- Medicaid Integrity
and RAC Webinar
- March 23 & 24, 2010 -- Legislative
Workshop, Tallahassee
- March 25 & 26, 2010 -- Leadership
Academy, Tallahassee
FAHSA Calendar of Events
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General News |
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International Trade: A New Pillar of
Florida's Economy? -- Two somewhat
recent global developments could have an
important bearing on Florida's economic future.
The first is the growing expectation that the
foreign exchange value of the U.S. dollar may
experience a long-term decline and even lose its
status as the world's 'reserve currency.' The
second development is the optimism that Brazil's
economy is entering a period of sustained and
robust economic growth. Brazil's economic
future is especially important to Florida
because Brazil is the Florida's largest
international trade partner.
Since the late 1970s, the U.S. economy has been
running balance-of-payments deficits (also known
as "merchandise trade deficits"). Simply put,
the United States has been consistently
purchasing more goods from the rest of the world
than we have been selling to them. Our
merchandise trade deficits started to soar in
the mid-1990s, reaching peaks of roughly $700
billion per year in the 2005 - 2008 time frames.
While this year's merchandise trade deficit
might be cut by as much as half due to the
global recession and lower crude oil prices, it
is unlikely to permanently decline in the
foreseeable future.
What might a declining dollar and Brazil's
emergence mean for the future of Florida's
economy? As noted in the August 2009 Economic
Commentary, Florida's international trade had
been one of the state economy's few bright spots
during the current economic contraction.
Florida's goods exports (manufactured and
non-manufactured commodities and re-exports)
totaled about $54.1 billion in 2008 - a robust
gain of almost 21 percent compared to the prior
year - making Florida the fifth leading export
state in the nation. Although 2009 export growth
does not look quite as bright - shrinkage of
about 16 percent appears likely - the
longer-term outlook appears favorable,
especially in light of the emergence of Brazil's
economy.
In the ten years from 1999 to 2008, the value of
Florida's exports of goods grew from $24.2
billion to $54.2 billion - an annual average
gain of approximately 12 percent. Manufactured
goods have typically constituted about 73
percent of the state's exports, while
agricultural, mining and forest products account
for roughly 12 percent, and re-exports compose
about 15 percent of Florida's exports. While
all export categories contribute to Florida's
economy, re-exports may provide the smallest
contribution.
Brazil also emerged during this period as
Florida's leading trade partner. The total
value of Florida's exports to Brazil was more
than $4.9 billion in 2008. Exports to Brazil
now account for about 9 percent of all Florida
exports. Since 2005, the value of Florida's
exports to Brazil has jumped by about $1.9
billion and has been growing about 20 percent
per year.
It is critically important that Florida and the
U.S. provide healthy climates for domestic and
foreign investment, because without such
investments industries such as civilian aircraft
can not expand. A lower value for the U.S.
dollar may spur U.S. and Florida exports for
some time; however, if the expected fall of the
dollar ultimately reflects less favorable
long-term growth opportunities in the U.S., then
investment and export growth will shrink and
Florida could then lose another pillar of its
economy.
Source: Stephen O. Morrell, Ph.D., Executive
Director of the Florida TaxWatch Center for
Competitive Florida and Chair of the Florida
Council of Economic Advisors at Florida TaxWatch,
and Professor of Economics and Finance, Andreas
School of Business, Barry University, Miami
Shores.
CAST and AAHSA Make HIT Toolkits
Available to Members -- Two new
toolkits should help AAHSA and CAST members
adopt health information technology (HIT) in a
variety of long-term care settings. The
toolkits were developed by
Aging Services of Minnesota, an AAHSA state
affiliate, and
Stratis Health, Minnesota's quality
improvement organization. The
Nursing Home Toolkit is specifically
designed for facilities offering skilled care;
the
Home Health/Assisted Living Toolkit is aimed
at organizations that provide care in the home.
Both toolkits are available to AAHSA and CAST
members at no cost.
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Housing News |
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Webinar Planned to Review Affirmative
Fair Housing Marketing Plans -
Kathelene Coughlin Williams will present a
one-hour webinar on "Reviewing and Updating your
Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plans" on
January 19 at 2:00 p.m. The webinar will
discuss how to establish procedures for
determining whether or not an applicant's
actions are in compliance with its approved
Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing (AFHM) plan,
AFHM Regulation (24 CFR 200.600), and AFHM
requirements in Departmental programs. Recently,
HUD published a new Affirmative Fair Housing
Marketing Plan (AFHMP) form, HUD-935.2A that
will be reviewed as well as time to ask specific
questions. Watch your email for more
information on how to register!
FAHSA Housing Alert Page |
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Legislative News |
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Committee Week Scheduled for December 7
through 11 -- Next week is designated
as a "committee week" in both the House and the
Senate. Committee weeks leading up to the 2010
Legislative Session are used to give legislators
time to study high-profile issues and review
bills that have been filed for the regular
session. Generally, a bill is referred to two
or three committees. It takes time for a bill to
make its way through the committees of
reference, which is why committee weeks are
necessary and important. The sooner a bill
starts through the committee process, the better
chance it has of passing.
CCRC Bill to Be Filed for FAHSA and
FLiCRA -- A bill will be filed on
behalf of FAHSA and FLiCRA for the 2010
legislative session. It is the product of a
joint task force that was created by FLiCRA to
review the concerns of continuing care residents
about transparency. The bill is still in
legislative bill drafting so it does not have a
bill number yet. We expect that it will be
formally filed before Christmas. The bill
sponsors are Rep. Bill Proctor (R-St. Augustine)
and Sen. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey). We
would like to thank Ray Johnson (Life Care
Pastoral Services, Inc.-Vicar's Landing) and
Luanne Reese (Mease Manor, Inc.) for helping to
recruit these great sponsors.
Topics Emerging for 2010 Legislative
Session - To Have A Voice, Sign Up for A FAHSA
Public Policy Committee -- By all
accounts, passing a balanced state budget will
be the primary goal of legislators during the
2010 legislative session which starts on March
2, 2010. State economists are predicting
another year of revenue shortfalls, which means
more painful budget cuts and possibly another
round of fee increases.
For elder care providers, the following topics
are likely to be high on the priority list of
lawmakers:
- Medicaid Reform;
- Enhancement of Background Screening
Requirements for LTC Staff;
- Possible Screening of Nursing Home and
Assisted Living Residents for Sexual Abuse;
- More Regulatory Reduction for AHCA Regulated
Entities (a few minor changes passed into law in
2009):
- Examination of Elevator Regulation; and
- Possible Changes in ALF Licensure
Categories.
If you are interested in any of the above issues
and want to help craft FAHSA's position, please
sign up for one of the following public policy
committees: ALF/HCBS, CCRC, Housing or Nursing
Home Committees. To sign up, please email
bgregory@fahsa.org. |
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Nursing Home News |
Final Version of Nursing Home
Staffing Study Released - The final
version of the staffing report prepared for
the Florida State Legislature on the impact
of the 2.9 staffing changes implemented in
2007 was released this week. The primary
researcher was Kathryn Hyer, PhD, MPP
(Associate Professor, School of Aging
Studies and the Director of the Florida
Policy Exchange Center on Aging at the
College of Behavioral and Community
Sciences, University of South Florida).
This report is similar to the preliminary
report released in March 2009. It was the
topic of a FAHSA Webinar taught by Dr. Hyer.
The final report, which is posted on the
FAHSA Web site, concludes that nursing home
quality measures improved with the
implementation of 2.9 staffing, just as they
did with incremental staffing increases that
have occurred since 2002.
The final report, like the preliminary one,
is limited to quality changes that took
place after the initial staffing
requirements were implemented in 2002. The
quality measures reported are only for the
2007 staffing changes. Dr. Hyer and her
colleagues will continue to monitor the
impact of staffing on quality of care in
Florida nursing homes. The Florida Policy
Exchange Center on Aging has a number of
publications underway on the effect of
staffing on deficiencies, unintended
consequences of direct care mandates, and
other staffing issues.
Click here to see the report.
Other Nursing Home Alert Issues:
- Details on an Analysis
of Nursing Home Compare
- Therapy Caps
Exceptions Process Still Set to Expire by Year's
End
- New Web Site Focuses
on Long-Term Care Data
FAHSA Nursing Home Alert Page |
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Preferred Business Associates News |
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 FAHSA's
Preferred Business Associates Program (PBAs)
-- A list of PBAs can be found by on
the FAHSA Web site
www.fahsa.org and
selecting Preferred Business Associates from the
left side menu bar or clicking on the FAHSA
Preferred Business Associates Page hyperlink.
FAHSA members can also use the on-line directory
to search for PBAs by specialty.
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Career Center |
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Welcome to the Florida Association of
Homes and Services for the Aging Career Center!
Your destination for exciting Aging Services job
opportunities and the best resource for
qualified candidates in the Florida Aging
Services Industry. Searching for a job in Aging
Services?
Looking to fill a position? This job board is
custom tailored for the Aging Services industry,
which means we attract the most qualified
professionals in Florida.
Create an Employer Account,
search resumes and post your Aging Services job
now!
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Copyright 2009 -- Publication of the Florida
Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
(FAHSA).
- FAHSA Chair: Terri Cunliffe
- FAHSA President/CEO: Janegale Boyd
- Managing Editor: Gail Matillo, MPA
Copyright Information: Copies of the articles
and other information in this publication may be
noncommercially reproduced for the purpose of
educational or scientific advancement.
Otherwise, no part of this publication may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
means, mechanical or electronic, including
photocopying, microfilm and recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system,
without the written permission of the editor.
Correspondence: Should be addressed to: Editor,
1812 Riggins Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. For
telephone inquiries, call (850) 671-3700. Or
E-mail FAHSA at info@fahsa.org. © 2009 FAHSA.
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this
correspondence is not intended as a substitute
for legal advice. Please discuss any information
gathered from this or any other FAHSA
publications with your legal counsel in the
context of your particular situation before
implementing any new policies or procedures.
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