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Back to: WALA Home > Industry Insider > News Index > WALA News for April 21, 2004
Last Fax Blast on March 10, 2004 1) WALA Celebrates Another Successful Spring Conference and Its 10th Anniversary WALA would like to thank all of you who participated in every aspect of the conference for making this the biggest and best in WALA history! As many of you are aware, WALA's 9th Annual Spring Conference took place last month on March 23 - 25. Over 500 new and familiar faces joined us for three action packed days of networking, idea sharing, prizes, and the best of education, music, and dancing. If you missed the conference (or just want to see who was caught on film), experience it vicariously through the photos on the WALA website and find out why you should join us next year! Check this page for links to photos, the full agenda, exhibitor list and more. 2) 2005 Conference at Ho-Chunk Casino - At the 2004 Spring conference last month, we asked your opinion of having the 2005 WALA conference at Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells. The response from the audience was VERY positive so we have finalized our contract with them for 2005. Be sure to set aside Tuesday, March 22 for an expanded Provider Roundtable by regulatory group; Wednesday, March 23 for a great motivational speaker (and Wednesday night to do a little gaming at Ho-Chunk!); and Thursday, March 24 with additional breakout sessions, including repeats of those you missed on Wednesday. It will be a worthwhile addition to your 2005 calendar. We read all of your 2004 evaluations and made many changes based on your comments. See ya there! If you are interested in becoming a part of the planning team for conference at Ho-Chunk Casino, please contact the WALA office. 3) Last Minute Fishing Trip? - Not likely! Proving once again that FISH is even more popular than "Judge Judy", the 2004 FISH II: Bigger & Fishier Seminar at the Great Wolf Lodge in Wisconsin Dells on April 23 has once again sold out! But don't you be the one that got away.... WALA will be presenting FISH again in 2005 for those who missed the boat. Join a school of companies swimming toward better service, lower staff turnover, and happier consumers by hooking into this simple but revolutionary management philosophy. 4) Sales & Marketing Discount Ends April 27! - Is your occupancy census down? Has your waiting list disappeared? Are there - horrors - vacancies you cannot fill? This is your chance to brush up on your sales and marketing skills, learn new ideas that are proven to work in our industry, and ask questions of some of the best in the industry: Mari Jo Grace and Rae Schweer! As if you needed more incentive, after taking all three days of this powerful course May 11-13 in Oconomowoc, you will have the chance to receive a Sales & Marketing Certification through ALFA - the national standard for training excellence - at no extra charge. But the incredibly low early bird price is only good until April 27, so you need to sign up today! Your competition is coming - you should too! You can get info and even register online here. 5) Networking Night Approaches .... Have You RSVPd? - It is like a tall tale from days of yore. WALA Networking Nights have returned in all of their former glory, and you can't afford not to come. Why, you may ask, can I not afford not to come? Because it is totally, utterly, and in all other respects FREE! All you have to do is RSVP to be put on the guest list for this amazing reception. Direct Supply is hosting this incredible event for WALA at their new Eldercare Continuum Showroom in Milwaukee on Wednesday, May 19 from 5-7 p.m. It will be a chance to pamper yourself after a long day, as they serve up cocktails, hors d'oeuveres, a keynote presentation of an insider's look at "Washington's Changing View of Long Term Care", and an exceptional atmosphere for networking with friends, peers and competitors. Come as you are after work on Wednesday. Tours of the showroom will be available if you desire - there are entire kitchens, community rooms and apartments assembled within the showroom for you to peruse. The new products and services available will amaze you. While there is no cost to attend, RSVPs are essential, so contact Sarah Bates at 414/358-7263 or call the WALA office to make sure that you don't miss out on this singular event! At the WALA conference this year, some of you told us you prefer a printed copy of the WALA Watch newsletter to the electronic version. Given this, the WALA office would also like to hear from you as to whether you prefer receiving breaking news like this as "Fax Blasts" or "Email Blasts." Are you more likely to read these timely updates if you receive a hard-copy fax rather than an electronic version? Or do you prefer both? When you receive Email Blasts, do you print them out or just read them on your computer? Let us know! Email WALA's Membership Coordinator Chris Herb at cherb@ewala.org or call the WALA office. 7) ALFA Conference In Chicago -Are you joining the rest of the assisted living world at the ALFA Conference in Chicago May 5 - 7? If not, why not? You can still register at www.alfa.org and join the crowd. Make sure to let WALA know if you are planning to attend, as the Wisconsin contingent usually meets for dinner one of the nights and it is always an enjoyable time. Join us! In addition, ALFA has made a special offer to WALA members - a chance to attend the vendor EXPO on Friday, May 7 at NO CHARGE. The EXPO is from 9:30 a.m. to noon and has nearly 200 top providers of assisted living services. While the free attendance is ONLY for the EXPO on Friday, it is a great chance to meet many national level service providers. Here is what you have to do: simply print this Blast and present it at the onsite registration desk at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago to receive your badge to attend the Friday EXPO. We'll see you at America's Premier Trade Show for Assisted Living! No charge, lots of top quality vendors and Chicago for the weekend. Sounds pretty good to us! For a complete agenda of the conference, go to www.alfa.org or call 703/691-8100. Remember, WALA is a part of ONE ALFA 8) DHFS Meets With Legislative Leaders Regarding Community Aids and Medicaid Waiver - The Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) has been meeting with legislative leadership on the need to pass a bill before this legislative session ends (by June 1). The proposal seeks to generate approximately $50 million in new federal funding to be used to offset the current $277 million Medicaid deficit. This new federal funding will be obtained by using the state's share (GPR) of Community Aids funding to draw down federal matching dollars through the Medicaid program. It is the intent to return the "state funding" (GPR) of Community Aids to the counties through another funding avenue. DHFS believes the probability of CMS approval is high. The earmarking of the new federal matching funds to offset the Medicaid deficit will discontinue in January of 2006 (2 years). After that date, this new funding could then be used for increases in community aids funding. 9) Senate Committee to Release Findings on Assisted Living Without Hearing - ALFA recently informed WALA that they learned in meetings with key staff of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging that the committee will not hold a hearing to release findings of the upcoming study of assisted living by the General Accounting Office (GAO), as reported recently in an electronic ALFA Alert to members. Instead, the committee will release the results of the study when they become available in May. The committee appears to deem it unnecessary to hold a hearing, which likely would have involved additional testimony and discussion of tangential issues. The report represents the latest evidence of the federal government's growing interest in the assisted living industry in recent years. GAO, the investigatory arm of the U.S. Congress, recently has been conducting a study of state regulatory practices in assisted living at the request of the committee, as reported in the January 2004 ALFA Watch. The study has focused on three areas: full disclosure, licensing assistance for providers, and grievance procedure processes. According to GAO, the study is intended to identify "state programs in operation that demonstrate advantages over other available approaches to protect the interests of assisted living residents." Committee staff say that the report likely will showcase one or two states' programs in each of the three main areas mentioned above. ALFA will continue gathering information and update members on developments. September 20 - Join us again for a great day golfing at Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc. Sure it's spring now, but fall is right around the corner. And fall means golfing with WALA! Brochures and registrations will be mailed in May, but mark your calendar now as the 10% discount ends July 15.
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