THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
41 |
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO EXPLORE THE CREATION OF A SUSTAINABILITY FUND OR OTHER METHODS OF INCREASING FUNDING TO COMMUNITY CARE FOSTER FAMILY HOME AND EXPANDED ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOME PROVIDERS.
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii has a limited number of beds in nursing homes for patients requiring the level of care provided by nursing homes; and
WHEREAS, the Community Care Foster Family Home (CCFFH) program and
Expanded Adult Residential Care Home (E-ARCH) program provide additional
options for patients requiring nursing home level care throughout the State;
and
WHEREAS,
caregivers in CCFFHs and E-ARCHs effectively provide the proper care needed for
nursing home level patients, including assistance with Activities of Daily
Living (ADLs) specialized care such as the use of feeding tubes, catheters, providing
basic wound care, maintenance exercise programs, cognitive stimulation, dietary
management, and other custodial care as needed; and
WHEREAS, the ARCH program was introduced in Hawaii in the 1950s or earlier to provide assisted living type care; it was expanded in 1994 to provide nursing home level care as the E—ARCH program under the Department of Health, serving approximately fourteen hundred patients with the potential for an even greater capacity; and
WHEREAS, the pilot CCFFH program was started in 1979 by The Queen's Medical Center, where it began receiving Medicaid funding under a federal Medicaid waiver in 1984, initially under the direction of the Department of Human Services and is presently situated in the Department of Health; and
WHEREAS, the CCFFH program is currently serving approximately three thousand patients, with the potential for even greater capacity; and
WHEREAS, the 1984 CCFFH federal Medicaid waiver was approved based on its success as a high—quality alternative to nursing home placement for Medicaid patients that costs two— thirds or less than the cost of placement in a nursing home; and
WHEREAS, nursing facilities in the State do not have enough beds to accommodate patients requiring the level of care provided in nursing facilities, and the CCFFH and E—ARCH programs grant patients additional options to receive adequate care; and
WHEREAS, the CCFFH and E—ARCH programs allow reduction of hospital stays by patients requiring nursing home level of care and provide relief to families caring for a family member with such needs, which can lead to a reduction of morbidity and mortality in those patients; and
WHEREAS, although the CCFFH and E—ARCH programs provide the same level of care for patients at nursing facilities, unlike the sustainability fund established for nursing facilities, there is no similar fund directly related to CCFFH and E—ARCH; and
WHEREAS, establishing a CCFFH and E—ARCH sustainability fund will provide an affordable system for long—term care for patients outside of nursing facilities; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Human Services is requested to convene a working group to explore all payment methodologies, including creating a sustainability fund or other methods of increasing funding to Community Care Foster Family Home and Expanded Adult Residential Care Home providers; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Human Services Med-QUEST Division is requested to serve as the chairperson of the working group; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it is urged that members of the working group consist of:
(1) A representative from the Department of Human Services Med-QUEST Division;
(2) One representative from the Executive Office on Aging;
(3) One representative from the Expanded Adult Residential Care Home Program;
(4) One representative from the Community Care Foster Family Home Program;
(5) One representative from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii; and
(6) One representative from the American Association of Retired Persons Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Director of Human Services.
Department of Human Services; Sustainability Fund; Community Care Foster Family Homes; Expanded Adult Residential Care Homes; Working Group