Friday Update September 10, 2004

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

RSA
Fri. Nov. 5th at 10:00 AM  Board Meeting (American Club in Kohler)

Wisconsin Council on Long-Term Care
September 10, 2004
October 8, 2004
November 12, 2004
December 10, 2004

Wisconsin Council on Long-Term Care
Residential Options Task Force
September 17, 2004
October 15, 2004
November 19, 2004
December TBA, 2004

2004 Wisconsin Elections
September 14, 2004: Partisan Primary (state elections)
November 2, 2004: Presidential and General Elections (federal and state-wide elections)



LONG-TERM CARE IN THE NEWS

Racine Journal Times (September 8, 2004)
Red Cross offering nursing assistant program
What the Red Cross saw was two empty classrooms and a local shortage of nursing assistants. The result is a new program to train certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, the people who provide basic care in nursing homes.  State approval came recently for the Red Cross of Southeast Wisconsin to offer the class, said Tressa Stein, director of health and safety for the organization. Lincoln Lutheran of Racine helped out by donating some equipment, she said.
<http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2004/09/09/local/iq_3092772.txt>

Capital Times (September 7, 2004)
Fight for GOP's heart and soul: West Bend Dems may cross over to save Panzer
They included a possible increase in the cigarette tax to fill a Medicaid deficit; programs to help seniors stay in their homes instead of nursing homes; elderly and disabled transportation aids; and the idea of raising the state sales tax to reduce property taxes.  Regarding Medicaid, Panzer said she did not believe that any taxes, including cigarette taxes, should be raised now.
<http://www.madison.com/tct/news/images/index.php?ntid=9715&ntpid=2>

Milwaukee Business Journal (September 6, 2004)
New take on nursing: 'Social model' of care focus of documentary on Saint John's home
An east side Milwaukee nursing home's efforts to revolutionize care for the elderly will receive national attention.  Saint John's on the Lake, 1840 N. Prospect Ave., is changing its model of providing services and care to the elderly, moving away from the traditional model of medical institutional care to one that emphasizes a "social model" of care.
<http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2004/09/06/story2.html>
MSNBC: <http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5908584/>

Fond du Lac Reporter (September 5, 2004)
Goal is to keep people out of nursing homes
Betsy Van Heesch, director of marketing and admissions at Fond du Lac Lutheran Home, said she wants to keep people out of nursing homes — that is, unless there are no other options left.  It’s not that nursing homes don’t want residents. Instead, it’s a matter of waiting lists and not having enough beds for the growing numbers that will flood the health-care market once baby boomers start needing long-term care.
<http://www.wisinfo.com/thereporter/news/archive/local_17642127.shtml>

Small Business Times (September 3, 2004)
Village of Manor Park acquires Friendship Living Centers from Aurora
West Allis-based The Village of Manor Park has acquired Friendships Living Centers from Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care.Friendship Living Centers, 7300 W. Dean Road, Milwaukee, includes Friendship Village, an independent, assisted living and skilled nursing facility, and Freedom Village, an independent living townhome community.Friendship Living Centers has about 300 total living units, including 80 beds for long term care.
<http://www.biztimes.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=homepage.breakingNews&URLbreakingNewsID=153>

Duluth-Superior News Tribune (August 31, 2004)
Audit: Winnebago mental institute loses $1.8 million
Cuts in medical assistance reimbursements helped drive the state's Winnebago Mental Health Institute into a nearly $2 million deficit in 2003, according to a state audit released Tuesday.
<http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/politics/9546899.htm>

Appleton Post Crescent (August 31, 2004)
Thompson pushes new health plan: Bush may use BadgerCare as his model
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson hinted Monday that Wisconsin’s BadgerCare program may be the basis of a federal program to help more poor families get health insurance.  President Bush is expected to lay out his agenda for a second term during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.
<http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_17593957.shtml>

Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter (August 27, 2004)
Pilot project may boost health care center budget
MANITOWOC – Manitowoc County is part of a pilot project this year and next, designed to integrate developmentally disabled people from the county’s Health Care Center into community-based residential facilities.
<http://www.wisinfo.com/heraldtimes/news/archive/local_17319042.shtml>