WALA News for January 17, 2006

  1. CORRECTION - Disaster Preparedness on February 7
  2. Register Now for the WALA Spring Conference
  3. BQA Transportation Memo Now in Effect
  4. Medicare Part D Helplines Now Available
  5. WALA, Provider Organization Summit Respond to Long-Term Care Request
  6. RFOSes are now ALRDs

1. CORRECTION - Disaster Preparedness on February 7

In the January issue of WALA Watch we incorrectly noted the date of our upcoming "Disaster Preparedness: Plan to be Really Ready!" seminar as Tuesday, February 14. The correct date is Tuesday, February 7. Further, Sinikka Santala, the administrator of the DHFS Division of Disability and Elder Services, will be delivering the 9 o'clock address on behalf of Governor Jim Doyle

The cost to register is $125 for WALA members and $175 for members if you register by January 27, after which the cost goes up $40. To sign up for this timely, essential event visit our website or call us at 608/288-0246.

2. Register Now for the WALA Spring Conference

Get ready for Wisconsin's biggest and best assisted living conference! WALA is now taking registrations for our 11th annual Spring Conference, "Our Benchmark of Value: Independence with Dignity and Respect," to be held March 29-30 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. We have 24 educational sessions, 5 keynote speakers, over 30 exhibitors and much, much more! And on March 28, we are proud to bring you our optional pre-event with international dementia expert Jane Verity.

There is far too much on deck to include in this Blast. In case you didn't receive the conference agenda in your mailbox, it can be viewed on our website.

There you can register online or download a registration form. See you at the conference!

3. BQA Transportation Memo Now in Effect

The Bureau of Quality Assurance has officially put into effect their memo on transportation safety policies. It requires facilities that transport residents to develop and implement written policies to ensure the safety of residents. The final memo has been revised from the original draft released last fall; the most significant change is that the number of items required in a policy has been reduced to four, and those items have been streamlined and simplified. The full text of the memo is available on the BQA website.

4. Medicare Part D Helplines Now Available

Two new telephone helplines for Wisconsin residents trying to navigate the tangled web of Medicare Part D have been established. The Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups is helping adults 60 and over; their number is 866/456-8211. The Wisconsin Coalition for Advocacy has a line for those with disabilities under age 60 at 800/926-4862.

WALA would like to express our appreciation to the providers, pharmacists and advocates who have been going the extra mile to help those we serve go through the difficult task of transitioning into this new program.

5. WALA, Provider Organization Summit Respond to Long-Term Care Request

In response to last fall's Request for Information from the Department of Health and Family Services on long-term care reform, both WALA and the Provider Organization Summit (POS) issued responses highlighting the challenges providers stand to face. WALA's response emphasized our belief that Medicaid and similar services ought to be reserved for the truly needy, and our concern that the funding drought plaguing other sectors of the industry could adversely impact assisted living. POS' response reflected the consensus that the current model for publicly-funded long-term care does not reflect the true cost to providers of delivering care, and requested that a representative of POS be involved in evaluating all of the responses to the RFI. Both responses can be viewed on our website.

The POS is a conference of all the Wisconsin long-term care provider associations, including WALA, CAPOW, RFW, RSA, WAHSA, WHCA and WPSA.

6. RFOSes are now ALRDs

The BQA Assisted Living Section announced a change in title for all regional heads at the January Assisted Living Forum. Fomerly called Regional Field Operations Supervisor (RFOS), the head of each region will now be known as the Assisted Living Regional Director (ALRD).