COMMENTARY
Chad Jordon
NOTICE TO READERS:
The following two editorials are the opinion of the writer and may or may not reflect the general policy or official viewpoint of the MCQC Board of Directors. |
MCQC
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Director: Georgia Sanders
President: JoAnne Morrow
Vice President: Phyllis Krambeck
Treasurer: Chad Jordon
Secretary: Dave Damico
Central MO: Robert Hall, Dr. Edna Chavis
Kansas City: Howard Higgins, Marianne Ronan
St. Louis: Jeanne Underwood
Meetings of the MCQC Board of Directorsare open to all members and their guests.Please feel free to attend. Meetings are onthe first Saturday morning of each month.There is always a full agenda and it is a goodtime to hear about policy issues we aretracking and projects underway.
Call our office for more information (888)262-5644.
ELDERLY HOME DELIVERED
MEALS TRUST FUND
This year as you begin the process of filing your Missouri tax return we encourage you to donate all or part of your refund to the Elderly Home Delivered MealsTrust Fund. The state of Missouri administers the trust fund by transferring the donations into the account.
The Elderly Home Delivered Meals Trust Fund provides an opportunity to support the home delivered meals program for Missouri's senior citizens. More than 5.5 million meals are provided each year to home bound senior citizens. These nutritionally balanced meals, delivered to the homes of seniors on the average of one meal per day, five days per week, help them live independently in their homes. The need for home delivered meals increases yearly as people are living longer and may need assistance.
Please consider checking the Elderly Home Delivered Meals Trust Fund box at the bottom of your Missouri tax return. Formore information, please contact:
Elderly Home Delivered Meals Trust Fundc/o Div. of Senior Services and RegulationP.O. Box 570, 912 Wildwood DriveJefferson City, MO 65102 (573) 526-8567 |
| A NEW TREND?
It is well known that Missouri has a fractured system when it comes toenforcing nursing home regulations. In some instances the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services hasattempted to enforce “quality care” standards itself, while at other times enforcement cases have been handled by the Missouri Attorney General—who is confined by law on what cases he may or may not work on.
In some instances state officials have requested that local county prosecuting attorneys prosecute individuals for poor care. As can be expected the success rate for such cases depends upon the workload and competency of the county prosecutor. Unfortunately it also depends upon the county prosecutors' interest in pursuing cases involving elder abuse.
Complicating Missouri's ability to address elder abuse was the passage of the so-called nursing home reform law a couple of years ago. While touted as amajor piece of legislation that would help prevent elder abuse it actually reduced the number of mandatory nursing home inspections conducted by the state in. In addition, the new law was supposed to improve the state's ability to impose monetary fines against deficient nursing homes but in reality has fallen short ofexpectations.
Within this environment it was refreshing to see the recent criminal indictment of the operator of a chain of nursing homes by the Federal government. This event was important as it involved legal action which was independent of the state's current lethargic enforcement activities. The U.S. Attorney who has initiated the federalaction is Catherine Hanaway, the former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives. Ms. Hanaway recently lost an election bid to become the Missouri Secretary of State prior to taking the U.S. Attorney position in St. Louis. |
While serving as the Speaker of the Missouri House, Ms. Hanaway was sometimes accused of being a polarizing figure in the state capitol — especially by Democrats. Regardless of her past activities in the Missouri Legislature she must be congratulated for her willingness to tackle elder abuse and neglect on the federal level. According to a spokesperson in her office she plans to do much more in this area. Her actions are refreshing and long overdue. Her actions may also be instructive to state regulatory officials.
THE PICK OF THE LITTER After interviewing numerous candidates for executive director, the powerful nursinghome trade organization, the Missouri Health Care Association, has chosen State Senator Jon Dolan for the job. Senator Jon Dolan (now former state senator) has replaced retiring executive director, Earl Carlson.
The Missouri Health Care Association, which represents mostly for-profit nursing homes has long been considered a powerful presence in the Missouri Legislature. Armed with numerous lobbyists and abundant campaign contributions they have long dominated policy in our state capitol as it relates to long-term care. It was no surprise that they reached into the legislature and tapped a politician to work for them full-time.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Senator Dolan, while serving on the Medicaid Reform Commission, bullied a disabled person testifying at a hearing in St. Louis. The newspaper went on to say that “he reacted to another man's tale ofwoe by saying he, Dolan, would like a sponge bath and a clean house every day too.”
It looks like the Missouri Health Care Association has found the perfect man for their job. |
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE . . .As an integral part of our organization we challenge you — our members, readers and correspondents — to help us increaseour membership by at least 120 new members this year. Please support our efforts by participating in this endeavor.
You can:Ask a friend, relative or neighbor to join MCQC
Spread the word about our website
Request brochures from MCQC to distribute to public offices, etc.
If you belong to an organization, speak to them about MCQCPlease call or email MCQC if you need additional information.
1-888-262-5644 E-mail: mail@mcqc.com |
