Category: News & Media

Medicaid Funding for States Clears US Senate

A federal program aimed at sending states funding for education and Medicaid providers cleared the US Senate by a vote of 61-38, according to reports by CNN and the Boston Globe.

Out of the $16 billion in Medicaid money and $10 billion for education, Massachusetts stands to receive $655 million in total with $405 million in one-time funds allocated for Medicaid services.

Massachusetts was one of 30 states that constructed their budget with the expectation that FMAP, or Federal Medical Assistance Percentages that supply federal funds to state Medicaid operations, would be extended. When that action was delayed, however, the state had to come up with a contingency budget that set up Medicaid-funded programs to be compensated mostly by the Massachusetts General Fund and a smaller percentage coming from FMAP.

Without these funds, Massachusetts and other states would be forced to make cuts. The program now moves to a vote in the US House of Representatives.

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Bayada Nurses Expands Volunteer Recruitment Campaign for Haiti Relief

Home Care Alliance member agency, Bayada Nurses announced that the company’s nationwide recruitment campaign to send volunteer nurses to Haiti has been extended to include licensed practical nurses as well as registered nurses.  The campaign will also  double the number of nurses the company will sponsor.   “There is a great need in Haiti that is on-going.  We want to expand our efforts to help an area that desperately needs assistance,” explains Mark Baiada, president and founder of Bayada Nurses, a national home health care company with office in 18 states.   “We are looking for experienced nurses to travel to Haiti for a minimum of four weeks.  All experienced RNs and LPNs are welcome to apply.  The  effort is not limited to Bayada Nurses employees.  The company has increased the original goal of sponsoring 12 nurses to a new commitment of sponsoring up to 24 nurse volunteers in Haiti.

The company is coordinating volunteer placements in Haiti with Heart to Heart International, a non-profit, humanitarian agency founded in 1993 to provide medical education and aid to hospitals and clinics around the world. Bayada is paying all travel and living costs for volunteers, reimbursing nurses for all recommended inoculations, and providing many of the recommended supplies nurses will need while in Haiti.  Heart to Heart coordinates living accommodations, travel, meals, interpreters, and security for nurses during their stay in Haiti.

For more information about Bayada Nurses for Haiti Volunteer Relief Campaign, or to volunteer, visit www.bayada.com/haiti or email haiti@bayada.com.

HCA Welcomes New Member: Bay State Senior Care, Inc.

The Alliance is pleased to welcome its newest member, Bay State Senior Care, Inc., a private care agency in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

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HCA Welcomes New Member: Comfort Keepers of Westport

The Alliance is pleased to welcome its newest member, Comfort Keepers of Westport, a private care agency in Westport, Massachusetts.

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NY Times: Cutting Home Care Today Hurts State Budgets Tomorrow

Continuing on an article written on how cash-strapped states are cutting home care services, the “New Old Age” blog of the NY Times highlighted what home care and home health advocates have been telling state and federal elected officials for years: People prefer to live at home rather than an institutional facility, which costs more taxpayer money anyway.

To read the New Old Age blog on home care cuts, click here.

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NY Times: Making Homes Safer for Dementia Patients

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York has come up with a checklist for making homes safer for Alzheimer and dementia patients, which was highlighted in “The New Old Age: Caring and Coping” blog in the NY Times.

According to the blog, the list was complied by Cathy Castronova, a registered nurse and case manager with the service’s affiliate, Partners in Care, who assesses the homes of older people for safety and has taught numerous classes on helping seniors remain safe at home.

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Nurse Applauds Congressman McGovern for Visit

In appreciation of Congressman Jim McGovern’s recent home visit with Community VNA of Attleboro, the nurse who the Congressman accompanied wrote an Op-Ed praising McGovern’s support of home health issues. The editorial appears here in the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle.

Sandy Legg-Forgiel was the registered nurse and telemonitoring coordinator for Community VNA who brought Congressman McGovern on the visit to the home of a patient on telehealth services. In addition to his existing support, McGovern agreed to sign on to an initiative that would expand the use of remote patient-monitoring services.

Congressman McGovern is a leading champion in Washington DC for the home health industry having established the Home Health Working Group in Congress and has filed or signed on to several pieces of legislation throughout his career that were of benefit to home care.

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HCA Welcomes New Member: Family Assistance Staffing

The Alliance is pleased to welcome its newest member, Family Assistance Staffing, a private care agency in Winthrop, Massachusetts.

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Metrowest Daily News Promotes HCA Accreditation Program

The Home Care Alliance’s new Accreditation Program, which was recently announced at an event for members at Hebrew SeniorLife Home Care, is already gaining attention.

The Metrowest Daily News ran a story on the program that is meant to promote a series of standards for private duty home care agencies. The article mentions that, “The new standards cover areas such as recognizing and reporting elder abuse, ensuring services and costs are clear to customers up-front, and establishing procedures for clients to report problems with aides.”

The article states further a need for such standards as “Locally, the population of residents 75 and older was measured at nearly 26,000 in the 2000 Census, but that number is expected to grow to more than 40,000 by 2030, according to data from the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation.”

The Metrowest Daily News covers 27 towns west of Boston, including Framingham.

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Boston Globe: Home Health Jobs Among Fastest Growing

The Boston Globe’s website, Boston.com, ran a piece in their “Jobs” section on the 30 fastest-growing jobs by 2018.

Many health care-related jobs show up on the list, but home health aides came in at number three.Physical and Occupational Therapy aides also came in high on the top 30, as were home care and personal aides, which ranked fourth.

The Globe acquired data to determine the rankings based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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