|
|
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Back to: WALA Home > Industry Insider > News Index > WALA News for June 1, 2004
1) ALFA and WALA respond to recent press on assisted living - Last week, the Washington Post and USA Today each ran a series of articles related to the assisted living industry. (You may need to register to view the articles.) The Washington Post limited most of its coverage-and its definition of "assisted living"-to a few of the smaller homes for the aging and disabled located in Virginia. Very little was reported on the high quality of care and attention offered by the great majority of communities in Virginia, nor of the passionate commitment of their owners, operators and staff. However, the Washington Post described alleged or actual abuse, neglect and resident-on-resident violence in several facilities. The USA Today series covered the broader spectrum of assisted living and featured examples of problems with medication management, staffing levels, staff training, and employee background checks in seven states. Unlike the Washington Post, the USA Today series highlighted specific examples of the many individuals who are very pleased with their homes and the care they are receiving. Assisted living in several states was examined including Wisconsin. Go to the ALFA website, www.alfa.org to see their responses to these articles. WALA has also initiated a measured response. USA Today Articles:
Washington Post Articles (PDF):
2) Your chance to weigh in on the future of ALFA - A message from Rick Grimes, President and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America: ALFA, your national industry association, is conducting a survey of Assisted Living owners, operators, management and other executives in leadership positions to better understand the challenges you face, and how we might best impact the industry's future success. Our Assisted Living Provider Survey is designed to begin that process. As an organizational leader, your input is very important to us and will serve as a key component in our strategic planning efforts. If by chance you have received this e-mail but are not in a leadership role, we would appreciate you forwarding it to the most appropriate individual in your office/facility. We have contracted with Vertical Leap Consulting to capture results in summary form, thus ensuring your individual anonymity. Please take a few minutes to share your views by using the following web site link 2004 ALFA Provider Impact Survey to access the survey. [Unfortunately, this survey only exists in electronic format.] If you have any questions, please contact Steve Lane at SLane@VerticalLeapConsultingW.com or 240/401-7184. Thank you for you time and your commitment to the future of Assisted Living. 3) What does the Fair Labor Standards Act mean to me? - The FLSA has recently been amended by the federal government. There are a host of relevant provisions contained in the new "Fair Pay" regulations issued by the U.S. Department of Labor on April 20, 2004. It will be necessary for employers to become familiar with all of the provisions under these regulations because they significantly modify the old rules. It will also be necessary for employers to audit all of their existing positions presently classified as "exempt" to determine whether those positions can continue to be classified in that manner under the new regulations. Employers should also update or create job descriptions and certain employment policies as necessary to set up an affirmative defense to certain wage and hour claims that might not be available in the absence of such policies. An employer's failure to conduct an audit will likely constitute evidence of a "willful" violation of the FLSA in the event a nonexempt position has been mis-classified as exempt, exposing the employer to greater potential liability under the FLSA. For more information go to the U.S. Department of Labor's website or contact Chris Herb at the WALA office. WALA recently co-signed a letter opposing the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), a bill that has the potential to devastate health and human service programs. Please see a copy of the Provider Organization Summit joint letter (PDF) or call the office for more information. 5) Mark your calendars! BQA training event in August - Don't miss this one! We're excited to announce that this year's Annual BQA Provider Conference will be held August 9th, 2004. The conference "FOCUS 2004: COLLABORATING FOR QUALITY" will be held at the American Family National Headquarters Training Center located at 6000 American Parkway in Madison. Caregivers and management from assisted living facilities, nursing homes and intermediate care facilities for persons with mental retardation will benefit from the conference theme "Achieving Quality Through Standards of Practice." Brochures and registration information will be available the week of May 27th, 2004. Remember to check the BQA web site for further information about this conference. 6) WALA'S 5TH Annual Autumn Classic at Lac la Belle - For the third year in a row, WALA will hold its annual Autumn Classic at beautiful Lac La Belle. We can't get enough of the place! Come out and join us for one of the most important networking and fundraising events on the WALA calendar. Remember, 10% discount until July 15! 7) WALA is coming to you! -As many of you know, last year's Fall Symposium, "The State is Here!" went on the road to all five BQA regions. 450 people attended this high quality event! WALA received innumerable accolades for materials presented, and evaluations of the speakers were overwhelmingly positive. We HAD to do it again! WALA will be coming at you live again in late September or early October. Watch for brochures for the event coming soon. The focus will be regulatory (with a new twist), a segment on how to fine-tune your operations to increase care and minimize insurance increases, as well as the ever popular roundtables by regulatory group. More information soon.
WALA & ALFA Back to Top of Page |
|
