HM 131

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

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.