Support Home Care for Maine's RFP Appeal

Tomorrow's the day. Come and show your support for fellow Home Care for Maine workers, union brothers and sisters that may lose their jobs and the consumers that we serve. The hearing for Home Care for Maine's appeal for the Homemaking Contract is tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 9 am in room 300 of the State Office Building in Augusta.

Ask Senators Snowe and Collins to Support Health Care for All

Congressional Call-In Wednesday, October 22nd

Call Senators Snowe & Collins toll free:

1-888-436-8427

Sample Script:

Hello, my name is ____________ and I live in ___________. I'm calling today because I think fixing the health care system should be the top priority for Congress adn the New President in 2009 and I want to encourage Senator _________ to sign on to the Health Care for America Now campaign. I want to encourage Senator __________ to support guaranteed quality, affordable health care for everyone in Maine and the United States. I'd like Senator ___________ to respond in writing with her position. My address is _________________. Thank you!

Dial again and ask for the other Senator!

HCAN's goal is 100 calls, with your help, we can do it!

The time is now for an American solution that will secure our families' health and a healthy economy.

What is Health Care for America Now?

Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is a national grassroots campaign organizing millions of people in America to win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for all. Our goal is to build a base of grassroots activism and a national movement that will move our Congress and President to pass substantial health care reform that meets our principles in 2009. In Maine, the campaign is led by Maine People's Alliance, MSEA-SEIU, Maine Women's Lobby, Maine Equal Justice Partners, Engage Maine, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Equality Maine, Tengo Voz, Centro Latino, Kennebec Valley Organization, Move On, Maine Education Association and Maine Center for Economic Policy.

More information http://www.healthcareforamericanow.org/

ATTENTION Home Care for Maine DCWs

After much discussion it has been decided that Home Care for Maine will be continuing with our 6 hours of required education for calendar year 2008. This means you MUST have 6 HOURS of education for calendar year 2008. If you were hired in 2008, or completed a PSS or Homemaker course in 2008, you do not need to attend. The following is a list of upcoming Area Meetings. As many of you are aware, several of the past meetings have been cancelled due to the lack of attendance. We will be requiring you to choose and attend one of the following meetings. You will be paid for your time and mileage over 20 miles. Your scheduler will work with you to re-schedule your consumers so that you can meet the educational requirements. All Meetings will cover the same material: 9-12 Infection Control/Body Mechanics; Filling shifts, reporting, OES self direct 12-12:30 Lunch (please bring a bag lunch with you) 12:30 -3:30 Understanding Intake and Funding Sources You must attend all 6 hours. Schedule for remaining Area Meetings for 2008 10/21 South Gardiner Baptist Church, Rt 24/River Road, South Gardiner 10/23 Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, 50 Union Street, Ellsworth 11/4 Bangor Career Center, 45 Oak Street, Bangor 11/12 Mid Coast Community Action, 34 Wing Farm Parkway, Bath 11/19 Portland DHHS Building, 161 Marginal Way, Portland 12/2 Belfast Free Library, 106 High Street, Belfast 12/9 Alfred Town Office, 16 Saco Road, Alfred Please note that the Alfred date has been changed from the previously issued calendar. Also, the meeting in South Gardiner has been added. We have also removed the meeting that was scheduled in Houlton, as there are just four workers in that area who will need the 6 hours training. We will work with these four people individually to get their hours completed.

CMS Issues Final Rule, Empowers Beneficiaries

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a final rule that will allow states to use their Medicaid funds for consumer-directed services without a Medicaid waiver. Many more Medicaid beneficiaries will now be able to take charge of their own personal assistance services instead of having those services directed by an agency. This CMS ruling (pdf 263k) guides participating states to allow Medicaid beneficiaries in need of help with the activities of daily living to hire, direct, train, or fire their own personal care workers. Under the new rule, beneficiaries will have the option to hire qualified family members already familiar with the individual’s needs to perform personal assistance (not medical) services. If a state adopts the plan, beneficiaries could receive a cash allowance to hire their own workers to help with bathing, preparing meals, household chores, and other related services that help a person to live independently. Allotments could also be used to purchase items that help foster independence such as a wheelchair ramp or microwave oven. The beneficiaries also have the option of someone else managing their cash allotment. “This new rule should expand the availability of consumer-directed programs, an important development for consumers interested in taking greater control of their own long term care services,” said PHI National Policy Director Steven Edelstein. “But states must also focus on efforts to build and sustain the direct-care workforce necessary to provide these services to ensure that this choice is real and not an unfulfilled promise.” Enrollment in new state plans is voluntary and the state must also provide traditional agency-delivered services if the beneficiary wishes to discontinue self-directed care. The final rule will take effect November 3. Aaron Toleos, Online Communications Directoratoleos@phinational.org

Home Care for Maine's RFP Appeal Hearing Postponed

The Appeal Hearing scheduled for October 14 has been postponed to Wednesday October 22 at 9 am in Room 300 of the State House. Show your support for fellow workers and our agency by being there, if possible. I know direct care workers have a hard time leaving their consumers, but if you're off that morning and are in the Augusta area, come show your support. This is an appeal hearing, open to the public. There will be no testimony from members of the audience, so no public speaking is involved. Please be there.

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Central ME CATV to Air KVO Candidates Forum on Health Care

Missed the KVO Candidates Forum on Health Care? No problem! Thanks to Central Maine Community Access TV, you can watch it any night this week. CATV plans to air the event at 7:00pm running at least through Wednesday, on Channel 7 in most of Greater Waterville/Somerset Co, and Channel 11 in Fairfield. I believe it will air at 9pm starting Thursday, but I'll try to send program updates as I get them. The KVO steno pool is working hard to transcribe the responses we got from the 12 State House and Senate candidates, and 2 U.S. Congress candidates' representatives, who were with us last Sunday. The quick summary, though, is that we heard YES from everyone - YES that health care is a basic human right, YES that they will meet with us to work on the long-term care crisis, and YES that there needs to be more accountability and transparency in the private insurance sector. It was an exciting meeting, and Dan hopes to have a more detailed update out to you soon (including a list of participating candidates, and links to the text of their responses.) In the meantime, though, we hope you will try to catch it on TV!