WALA News for April 6, 2006

  1. 2006 Spring Conference A Great Success!
  2. Sales and Marketing Certification Program Cancelled
  3. Healthcare Regional Workshop Coming Next Month
  4. Joint Finance Committee Approves FamilyCare Expansion, With Changes
  5. Insulin Presentation, Legislative Roundup Available on WALA Website

1. 2006 Spring Conference A Great Success!

Thank you to the more than 580 attendees of the 2006 WALA Spring Conference who joined us at the Alliant Energy Center to make this year's conference such an outstanding event! WALA would like to especially thank all of our wonderful speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and committee for making this conference possible.

Always ready with open ears, our committee will take your feedback to produce a fantastic follow-up in 2007. We encourage your comments and new ideas to help us plan for next year, so e-mail or call us with your suggestions on how to make next year's conference even better.

Mark your calendar now for the 2007 WALA Spring Conference, which will  return to the Alliant Energy Center in Madison next March 27-29.

2. Sales and Marketing Certification Program Cancelled

Please note that the Sales and Marketing Certification Program that was to be offered on April 18-20 in Milwaukee has been cancelled due to low registration. If you have any questions, or are interested in attending this certification program in 2007, please contact WALA for more information.

3. Healthcare Regional Workshop Coming Next Month

The hottest session of the season is coming to you May 16-25! WALA will be visiting each of the five BQA regions to bring you the information you need to run a successful and survey-ready assisted living residence.

In the morning, we will address regulatory updates, answer your questions and address common concerns in medications-especially insulin administration. Our nurse delegation section will help you protect your license, your career and your future. After lunch we will look at the rising incidence of mental illness in assisted living and how it affects your operations. This will be a hands-on, interactive session with real-life examples, developed by the Mental Health Association in Milwaukee County in cooperation with the Laureate Group. For more information, contact info@ewala.org or call WALA at 608/288-0246.

4. Joint Finance Committee Approves FamilyCare Expansion, With Changes

Senate Bill 653/Assembly Bill 110, which would expand FamilyCare to more eligible individuals around the state, was approved by the Joint Finance Committee with a few changes. Amendments included a requirement for DHFS to continue evaluating the program on an ongoing basis, and a required review process by the Joint Finance Committee before the program can be expanded from its current level to 50% of the eligible state population.

The legislation was approved in early March by the State Senate, but would have to be approved again in its revised form. The full Assembly has not yet voted on it.

5. Insulin Presentation, Legislative Roundup Available on WALA Website

Two documents from the WALA Spring Conference are now available on the WALA website.

Doug Englebert, BQA's pharmacy specialist, presented a breakout session on insulin medication administration, which included a Q&A and a draft policy proposal. WALA has received a number of comments on the presentation, particularly from Directors of Nursing and other nurses. Now you can view the complete handout, directly from Doug. If you have any comments, please give them to Daniel Bush at dbush@ewala.org or 608/442-0375.

Also distributed to Conference attendees was our new Legislative Roundup, a summary of the legislative issues WALA is currently tracking. We encourage you to use it for yourself as legislators gear up for their fall campaigns.

Both documents are available from our Industry Insider section.