A Work Always in Progress

CARC Inc. is the 2015 AHCA/NCAL Awards recipient for the Not for Profit (NFP) Program of the Year award for its community benefit program called the “Work Services Program” (WSP), which provides opportunities and support for people with special needs to find employment in the Carlsbad, New Mexico community.

“The WSP identifies employment needs of the community and integrates its clients into that environment,” according to CARC CEO Mark Schinnerer. “It’s a stepping stone for individuals to develop good work habits and learn social skills.”

Listen to one satisfice local business: “The clients of CARC Inc. perform landscaping services for the bank under the direction of a coordinating supervisor, always performing in an above satisfactory manner,” said EVP of Carlsbad National Bank Chris A. Bird. Other supervised operations for the community include Rainbow Recycling, Document Destruction, running a country store, landscaping and even operating a large farm to supply a local processing plant with pecans to sell nationwide.

West Jordan’s Board President, Carolyn Olson, feels “The best part of the program is the satisfaction of the clients when they receive their paychecks. Words cannot explain the pride and self-worth clients gain from their employment.” The next career step in CARC’s “career ladder” is the Supported Employment Program where clients have greater autonomy and earning potential. 

The 2015 NFP Program of the Year award will be presented at the AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX, October 4 to 7, 2015. 

Living the Mission: A Day for NFP Providers

 

The third annual day for NFP providers will be held during AHCA/NCAL's 66th Annual Convention & Expo in San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday, October 6. This constituency education program for NFP providers is packed with motivational and educational speakers, including CMS and HUD. Lee Ellis (pictured), President and founder of Leadership Freedom® LLC, is our keynote speaker and is a popular media personality and high-profile human performance expert. Lee focuses on organizational integrity, operational effectiveness and personal accountability for enterprise, government and NFP leaders. A prolific writer, blogger and thought leader, Lee's latest award-winning book, Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton, shares his POW experience and the 14 leadership principles that helped him and his compatriots resist, survive, and return with honor. Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend the NFP reception, which will cap the day off.

For a complete list of education sessions included in this program go to our Education Session Full Schedule.  If you have any questions about this exciting event, please contact AHCA's Senior Director for NFP & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson, at dhalvorson@ahca.org.

NFP Grassroots Advocacy

Steven Chies, AHCA’s NFP Council Chair, encourages AHCA’s NFP providers to participate in our grassroots advocacy efforts in 2015.  AHCA would like to help you get facility tours and in-district meetings set up over future recess days.  Please provide your name, facility address, and email address and we will craft the invite and send it to you to send to the Congressional office.  The four brief steps for a successful facility tour visit can be found here.  Please feel free to contact Matthew Smyth and Dana Halvorson who can help you with all of the logistics.

AHCA’s NFP Council member, Van Moore (pictured to the right), meets with Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR-2, pictured on the left) at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles.  Van discussed with the Congressman issues impacting AHCA/NCAL members, including the observation stays issue. 

NFPs Engaging in the Political Process

For more information on how NFPs can engage in the political process, please review this webinar and handout from Wiley Rein, LLP.  Both documents will give members of 501(c) 3 tax exempt organizations an overview of what they can and cannot do in regards to lobbying and political activity.  For issue briefs, talking points and more, visit AHCA’s advocacy page.

U.S. Congressional Calendars

 

As you are planning your visits with members of Congress and their staff in Washington, D.C., or in your district, the Congressional calendars will be of assistance to you.  The U.S. House of Representatives calendar for the 114^th Congress, first session, can be found here.  The U.S. Senate schedule for 2015 can be found here. The dates in black reference the times the U.S. Senate is in session.  The red dates represent when the U.S. Senate is in recess.  

AHCA/NCAL Advocacy App

If you haven’t already heard about it, then we wanted to alert you to a great app that allows you to keep abreast of AHCA advocacy efforts.  Among other things, it provides important talking points, issue briefs and features that allow you to take action.  It will be useful not only to you, but serves as a great way for providers to weigh in.  You can get the app by clicking on the appropriate black box below.

 

Download our advocacy app!

   

AHCA’s State of the States Clearinghouse

AHCA members have access to key Medicaid and Medicare information through the State of the States Clearinghouse.  The AHCA State of the States Clearinghouse is a one stop shop for key Medicaid and Medicare information impacting the long term care profession.   

 

This new resource provides valuable data, including:

• Overview of the demographic landscape;

• State-specific nursing center occupancy and ownership breakouts; 

• Certificate of Need requirements for nursing centers and state licensure requirements; 

• State data on the cost of care for long term services and supports;  

• State data on the total number of Medicare enrollees; 

• Data on state Medicare Advantage plan enrollees and comparisons to the national average; 

• State and national Medicaid expenditure data;

• State Medicaid rates, costs and shortfalls;

• And other significant state-specific data related to payment structure, managed long term services and home and community based services coverage.

AHCA will continue to provide the most up-to-date information through the Clearinghouse and share new data/resources as they become available.  Also be sure to visit the AHCA Medicaid Page to learn more about the program and to access additional AHCA members-only Medicaid resources.

We’ve Got You Covered! AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions Website

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) now offers a variety of comprehensive insurance programs to meet your business needs. Backed by the strength of our membership, AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions programs are designed with exclusive member savings and discounts for both the fully-insured or self-insured members.

The program offers health insurance options, group and voluntary benefit packages, an aggressive Stop-Loss insurance program as well as cloud based HR platforms that will help members achieve savings and greater efficiencies on HR services within your company, while also tracking and reporting on key Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.  For more information, please contact AHCA’s Dave Kyllo at dkyllo@AHCA.org and visit the AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions website.  

Articles and Resources of Interest

• Too Much Weight in Midlife Tied to Earlier Alzheimer's – healthfinder.gov
• Why the Aging Brain Is More Vulnerable to Alzheimer's – healthfinder.gov
• Alzheimer's Disease Medications Fact Sheet – nia.nih.gov
• Managing Personality and Behavior Changes: Alzheimer's Caregiving Tips – nia.nih.gov
• Improving Services for Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees: What’s Top-of-Mind for Health Plans? – chcs.org
• Building a Culture of Engagement for Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees: Health Plan Approaches – chcs.org
• Inaugural National Conference on Alzheimer's disease/Dementia in Native American Communities: Impact, Issues and Next Steps – banneralz.org

Legislative and Agency Corner

• HUD Launches Resource Locator App – hud.gov
• Wage Protections For Home Care Workers Reinstated – disabilityscoop.com
• Feds Offer Financial Advice For Caregivers – disabilityscoop.com

Webinars of Interest

Stay informed and tune in to AHCA/NCAL-hosted pre-recorded and live webinars on a number of topics impacting the long term care profession. 

On Sept. 15, 2015, between 2-3:00pm ET, AHCA will host a webinar entitled, “Current Nutrition ‘Best Practice’ to Reduce Hospital Re-Admissions.” Providers must know how to meet the challenges of new CMS Value Based Purchasing related to Quality Measures and Reducing Hospital Re-Admissions. Food, nutrition and dining are integral components in reducing hospital re-admissions and overall care management. This session will present an overview of current “best practice” nutrition for effective care transition management along with suggestions of how to apply “best practice” for use in daily practice.  You can register for the webinar here.  

On Sept. 17, 2015, between 2-3:30pm ET, AHCA will host a webinar entitled, “Strategies for Addressing Workplace Violence in Healthcare Facilities and Ensuring Compliance with OSHA’s New Guidelines.”  Healthcare workers face an increased risk of workplace violence in their work and data suggests that 70% of workplace assaults occur in the healthcare industry.  In response, OSHA recently released an update to its Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers and it has indicated that it will focus on the hazards associated with workplace violence in all healthcare industry inspections.  The publication includes suggested best practices and provides some insight on how to reduce the risk of violence in various healthcare and social service settings.  Attend our webinar to learn about the new OSHA guidelines and strategies that can help you successfully address the unique challenges that the healthcare industry faces in tackling this workplace challenge.  You can register for the webinar here. 

Heart of the House

Dr. Bryan K. Williams believes that, “You are either serving the customer or you are serving someone who is.  Simply put…Everyone’s job exists to do something for someone else. Therefore, everyone’s job is important, needed, and relevant. The Dalai Lama once said, ‘If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito’.” Dr. Williams goes on to note in his blog, “From this day forward, don’t just do the job for which you are paid, but be the rock of the operation; the light of the operation; and the heart of the operation.”  To read the full blog posting, please click here.    

Dr. Williams is a consultant, trainer, and author, who focuses on the areas of service excellence and organizational effectiveness.  He has spoken at numerous AHCA/NCAL events, and his passion is to serve others so they may better serve the world.  Here is a link where you can see some of Dr. Williams’ book recommendations on service, leadership and personal development.

From the Blog of Josh Linkner

Noted on the Josh Linkner blog, “To Josh Linkner, creativity and innovation are the lifeblood of all human progress. As such, he’s spent his career harnessing the power of creative disruption.  His journey has been non-traditional at every step. As the founder and CEO of four tech companies, Josh built his businesses from a blank page into a combined value of over $200 million. As a hyper-growth CEO of over 20 years, he’s used innovative approaches to topple competitors, fight through adversity, and achieve at the highest levels.”  The bio section of Linkner’s blog goes on to include that, “Josh is an internationally-recognized thought leader and top-rated keynote speaker on innovation, creativity, reinvention, and hyper-growth leadership. His keynotes are focused on not only inspiring audiences, but also sharing actionable strategies to drive meaningful outcomes.”  Read some of Linkner’s blogs below.

• The 4 R’s of Executing Change
• Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
• What’s Missing? 

National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) holds a monthly call or webinar concerning topics of interest to those who work in the field of aging and disability.  One of the past calls focused on resources for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their caregivers.  Information about future calls, and audio recording of previous ones, can be found here.

Upcoming 2015 Events

• AHCA/NCAL’s Annual Convention & Expo in San Antonio, TX - October 4 - 7, 2015
• AHCA/NCAL’s NFP Day at Convention - October 6, 2015

2015 Health Care Observances

The 2015 AHCA/NCAL Health Care Observances Calendar can be found here.  October marks, among other observances, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, National Dental Hygiene Month, and Resident’s Rights Month.