WALA News for May 15, 2006
- Last Chance to Sign Up for Healthcare Regional Workshops!
- Older Americans Mental Health Week May 21-27
- TPA/TABOR Defeated - Help Us Thank Legislators
- FamilyCare Expansion Bill Signed
- Save the Date: WALA Autumn Golf Classic September 18
1. Last Chance to Sign Up for Healthcare Regional Workshops!
If you haven't yet signed up for our new WALA Healthcare Regional Workshops, now is the time! Sessions are this week and next at locations around the state. There's a lot for us to cover! We'll go over the latest from BQA and discuss questions on medication administration. An intensive presentation will delve into the details of nurse delegation. Our afternoon speakers will bring you an emerging issue that might not be on your radar screen: mental illness in your residents.
Sessions are:
- Tuesday 5/16 in Wausau
- Wednesday 5/17 in Madison
- Thursday 5/18 in Eau Claire
- Tuesday 5/23 in Appleton
- Thursday 5/25 in Milwaukee.
The cost is $140 for WALA members and $190 for non-members. To register, visit the website or call us at 608/288-0246.
2. Older Americans Mental Health Week May 21-27
Going along with the mental health component of our Healthcare Regional Workshop, the Older Women's League is holding an Older Americans Mental Health Week for May 21st through the 27th. According to their website, it is "an annual opportunity to spread the message that mental illness is not a normal part of aging." You can learn more and download a free toolkit from the OWL website.
3. TPA/TABOR Defeated - Help Us Thank Legislators
After a flurry of activity in the closing days of the Legislature, a broad-based coalition of over a hundred organizations-including WALA-defeated the TABOR/TPA initiative. Thank you to everyone who contacted the six members of the State Senate we targeted, all of whom voted against TABOR/TPA. Your efforts were crucial in getting out the message that TABOR/TPA would hurt long-term care. Please call or e-mail them again and thank them for their support, especially if they represent you or your facilities:
Ron Brown (Eau Claire): 877/763-6636 Robert Cowles (Green Bay): 800/334-1465 Mike Ellis (Neenah): 608/266-0718 |
Dan Kapanke (La Crosse): 800/385-3385 Luther
Olsen (Ripon): 608/266-0751 Carol Roessler (Oshkosh): 608/266-5300 |
4. FamilyCare Expansion Bill Signed
The bill to expand the FamilyCare program statewide from its five-county "pilot" phase was approved by the Legislature and signed by Governor Doyle on May 10. Now the initiative shifts to DHFS and the counties directly. There are ten consortia representing nearly all of Wisconsin's counties who are currently working to develop implementation plans for statewide FamilyCare.
WALA's position continues to be that programs to expand access and consumer choice in long-term care are good for Wisconsin, so long as providers receive adequate reimbursement to deliver quality care. We will make clear that FamilyCare is not a magic wand; the issue of adequate reimbursement for public-pay residents must be addressed if Wisconsin seniors are going to have a high-quality system of long-term care, especially with the coming retirement of the baby boom generation.
WALA is planning to bring you more information on the FamilyCare expansion at our Quality Outcomes Regional Workshop, to be held around the state in early October. More details will become available as the program comes together.
5. Save the Date: WALA Autumn Golf Classic September 18
WALA invites you to our 10th annual Autumn Classic golf tournament, to be held September 18 at The Bog in Saukville. We're pleased to offer you a world-class course at a new low price! Plan to join us for a day of contests, prizes, golf, friends, food and fun as we take over The Bog, an Arnold Palmer-designed championship course just north of Milwaukee. We have lowered fees by 33% so you can bring more of the people who make your business work-it makes a great employee recognition prize!
Sponsorship and registration information will
go out soon. Contact WALA for more
details.