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This
issue of Private Duty Today is going to stray a little bit from the
norm. Typically, I try to give you a valuable feature story and
sprinkle it with some commercials to pay the bills. I really like all
of you, but a fellow has to make a living.
But
this week the feature article will be replaced by a correction and an
apology. Last week I stirred a bit of controversy trying to encourage
people to become more active in state and national affairs that affect
private duty home care. Unfortunately, the illustration I used about
licensing in Illinois was heavy with intent but light on facts.
At
the time I wrote the article I was not aware of the active role that
the Illinois chapter of The National Private
Duty Association had played as licensing and
regulation was being created for home care. Several individuals
e-mailed me, many within minutes, to say essentially "I like your
message, however, you missed some of the facts."
First, the apology. I truly regret
not giving credit where credit is due. I wish I knew all of the names
of individuals who were active in the process, but I don't. I did have
a great conversation with Teresa Garcia, the chapter President. She
told me about the process and the active role that her chapter took,
not only in helping to craft the final legislation, but also
distributing information and assistance to those companies who would
face licensure.
Teresa was a founding member of NPDA,
and currently serves as Illinois Chapter President and a member of the
national board.
Originally the Illinois chapter
created recommendations for "full disclosure" legislation
that would offer protections to seniors, people with disabilities, and
employees of home care companies. Intense lobbying, however, persuaded
the Legislature to adopt full licensure for all home care companies,
both certified and non-medical. Because of their initial proposal, NPDA
was invited to help craft the licensure legislation.
Teresa offered full details, which I
will be placing on our blog. Not only is it required reading for those
of you in Illinois, it's a good snapshot of how legislation of the home
care industry takes place.
In my defense, I did speak with a
number of individuals over the past several years who expressed discontent
at the licensure requirements. Their perception, and mine, was that the
private duty home care companies did not have representation. In fact,
however, they were well represented but faced an uphill battle to
prevent licensure. Ultimately, by working cooperatively with other
groups, they were able to secure some key points that were important to
private duty companies.
Additionally, Illinois currently has
some of the most detailed regulation. While this regulation is higher
than the norm, it shouldn't be assumed that we won't see increased
regulation everywhere. The fact is that protecting seniors is
important, and politically attractive. Provision of safeguards for
older Americans is something that the Democrats and Republicans can
agree on, even if they go about it differently.
I want to thank Teresa Garcia and Kim
Stoneking publicly for offering insights. Furthermore, I want to thank
all of the individuals that publicly and privately have been involved
in shaping the quality of home care in America.
Finally, I want to reinforce the
message, "Participate."
Currently NPDA has approximately 1200
companies that are members of the association. While 1200 is certainly
a significant body, we estimate that there are as many as 17,000 home
care companies that provide non-medical care. The vast majority of home
care companies are not members of any state or national home care
association.
Frequently I am asked whether
association membership is worth the financial investment. I simply tell
my clients that if they participate and become involved, the benefits
are immense. If they join an association, fail to read the newsletters,
don't attend meetings and conferences, and choose not to take advantage
of educational opportunities, then membership is worthless.
Any association is only as strong as its membership.
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