Florida Senate - 2009                              CS for SM 152
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Health Regulation; and Senator Aronberg
       
       
       
       
       588-04438-09                                           2009152c1
    1                           Senate Memorial                         
    2         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
    3         urging Congress to support federally funded and state
    4         funded home and community-based services for
    5         individuals with disabilities of any age, especially
    6         elders.
    7  
    8         WHEREAS, federal and state financial assistance is provided
    9  for nursing home care under the Medicare and Medicaid programs
   10  for elders and individuals with disabilities, and
   11         WHEREAS, home and community-based services are a valuable
   12  cost-effective alternative to institutional care which benefit
   13  both the individual receiving such services and the federal and
   14  state programs that fund such services, and
   15         WHEREAS, studies document that elders and individuals with
   16  disabilities who receive health care in the their homes or other
   17  community settings in contrast to those who receive care in a
   18  nursing home experience improved outcomes, quality of care, and
   19  quality of life, and
   20         WHEREAS, publicly funded programs that cover home and
   21  community-based services for elders and individuals with
   22  disabilities are limited, and
   23         WHEREAS, federal and state programs provide limited support
   24  for home and community-based services that serve as an
   25  alternative to institutional care, and
   26         WHEREAS, support is needed to develop consistent quality
   27  assurance measures for home and community-based services, and
   28         WHEREAS, individuals receiving home and community-based
   29  services deserve an assurance of protection from abuse and
   30  neglect, and
   31         WHEREAS, home and community-based services benefit not only
   32  our parents and grandparents, but also our children and
   33  grandchildren, NOW, THEREFORE,
   34  
   35  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   36  
   37         That the Congress of the United States is urged to:
   38         (1) Increase federal financial assistance and encourage
   39  states to increase financial assistance for, and broaden access
   40  to, publicly supported home and community-based services for
   41  elders and individuals with disabilities; and
   42         (2) Implement on the federal and state level more unified
   43  training and supervision standards for certified nurse
   44  assistants and home health aides.
   45         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
   46  dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
   47  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
   48  United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
   49  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.