November 2006

1. Please join us at our next statewide meeting on Saturday, November 18, 2006 from 10:30 - 2:30. And please plan to join us at the same time at our next meeting on Saturday, January 20, 2007 at the Library of Michigan in Lansing. We welcome all consumers and are delighted to see both old friends and new faces! Don’t be shy! Please note this meeting will be held at a temporary location in the offices of the Michigan Quality Community Care Council, 1115 South Pennsylvania, Suite 203, Lansing, MI 48912. Free Parking is available right outside the building. (For those coming from the west, take I-496 E to exit #7 Cedar Street-Larch Street/Pennsylvania Avenue; go 0.6 miles, turn right on S. Pennsylvania Avenue and go .2 miles to 1115 S. Pennsylvania Avenue. For those coming from the east, take I-496 W to exit #7 Pennsylvania Avenue toward Larch Street/Cedar; go 0.4 miles; turn left on S. Pennsylvania Avenue and go .3 miles to 1115 S. Pennsylvania Avenue. )

2. Federal government issues proposed rule requiring all nursing homes to install sprinkler systems but does not establish how long facilities will have to comply with the requirement– The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published a proposed regulation that would require all nursing facilities to install sprinkler systems but it has not yet determined how quickly facilities must comply with the new requirement. CMS notes that the presence of sprinkler systems decreases the chance of fire related deaths in nursing homes by 82 percent. This regulation will be particularly important in Michigan since we are reported to have the lowest percentage of fully sprinklered facilities in the country and since four residents died in nursing home fires here last year. 
CMS is soliciting comments on what a reasonable phase-in period should be before all facilities are required to have sprinklers. CMS notes that installing a sprinkler system could be a costly and time-consuming process and that some facilities may choose to relocate to a new building rather than retrofit an old building. While the proposed rule does not suggest possible time frames, information about the impact of the rule includes examples of 5, 7, and 10 year implementation plans. It is likely that the nursing home industry will generate thousands of comments seeking the longest possible phase-in period. It is therefore critical that advocates for residents push for swift implementation of this long overdue requirement. Please tell CMS we need sprinkler systems in Michigan nursing homes as soon as possible and that the longer we delay, the more lives may be lost in nursing home fires. CMS must receive all comments by December 26, 2006. You can find the proposed rule at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/quarterlyproviderupdates/downloads/cms3191p.pdf with includes instructions for filing comments. You can submit comments electronically or just send an original and two copies of your comments to CMS, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-3191-P, P.O. Box 8012, Baltimore, MD 21244-8012. Your comments can be very simple. Please let your voice be heard! 

3. CMS includes information on whether nursing homes have sprinkler systems and fire safety violations on its “Nursing Home Compare” website – The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services now includes on its “Nursing Home Compare” website very valuable fire safety information about every nursing home in the country that participates in Medicaid or Medicare. You can check the website to determine if a facility is fully sprinklered, partially sprinklered, or has no sprinklers and to see if it was cited for any fire safety deficiencies. You can also learn how the number of deficiencies compares to the state and national averages, what the nature of the deficiencies was, and how severe the fire safety risk was determined to be. For example, the website reports that:

˜ Eastwood Convalescent Center in Detroit has a partial sprinkler system and was cited for 15 fire safety deficiencies compared to a national average of 4 fire safety citations and a state average of 8. All of its deficiencies were cited at the “minimal harm or potential for actual harm level” (level 2 out of a possible 4 levels of harm). 

˜ McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint is fully sprinklered and had no fire safety violations.

˜ Tendercare Health and Rehabilitation Center of Taylor is fully sprinklered but had 13 fire safety violations including an “immediate jeopardy” citation (level 4 of 4) for failing to meet current fire safety code requirements.

˜Pilgrim Manor in Grand Rapids is fully sprinklered but had 21 fire safety citations (all at level 2 out of 4).

To check fire safety information about a nursing home, go to Medicare.gov, scroll down the screen, and click on “Compare Nursing Homes in your Area.” Follow the directions to select the nursing home(s) you are interested in and, after you have selected the facility, click on “View all information on this nursing home.” You may then read all the information on the home including the number of health violations, quality indicators about the facility, staffing information, and fire safety information or you can click directly on “fire safety inspection” and scroll down the page to see the information about the facility you select.

4. Metron of Kalamazoo closes after long troubled history – Metron of Kalamazoo closed its doors early this month, forcing the relocation of approximately 60 residents. The facility had been cited for numerous and varied health and safety violations in the last several years. Earlier this year, the Michigan Attorney General filed criminal charges against Metron and several of its employees in connection with the death of a resident at the Metron Big Rapids facility. In addition, the Attorney General filed a civil suit against Metron and three of its facilities including the Kalamazoo home for endangering residents. 

5. Single Point of Entry Legislation to provide one stop shopping for long term care consumers may pass Michigan Senate in lame duck session – HB 5389, the Single Point of Entry legislation that would provide one stop shopping for long term care consumers who need information, assessments, and help developing their long term care plan, has passed the Michigan House of Representatives and is now pending in the State Senate. Although the Senate will be in session for only a few days before the end of the year, it is still possible that this bill can move forward. If the Senate passes the bill, it will go to the Governor for her signature. If the bill is not passed before the end of the year, it will have to be reintroduced next year. Advocates have worked very hard to promote this bill and will make a final push to assure its passage this year. Call your state Senator today to tell him or her you want to see the long term care Single Point of Entry bill passed before the end of this legislative session!! 
Meanwhile, on October 1, four Single Points of Entry demonstration sites 
opened for business in Detroit (serving Detroit, all the Grosse Pointes, Hamtramck, Harper Woods, and Highland Park), Southwest Michigan (serving Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Van Buren counties), Grand Rapids (serving Allegan, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Mountcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Ottawa counties) and Escanaba (serving all of the Upper Peninsula). Although they are not yet providing full services to consumers, if you live in the areas covered by one of the SPEs, you can contact them for information at 1-866-642-4582 (MICHLTC). If you live outside the covered areas, your call to that number should be routed to an agency that can provide you with some information about resources in your area. These initial four SPEs should be providing full services by January 1, 2007 to consumers in their areas of the state.

6. Campaign members attend National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform Annual Conference in Washington – Once again, the Campaign’s officers and a number of members were able to attend the extraordinary annual conference of the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) in Washington in October. Statewide chairperson Bill Mania, Secretary Carole Newburry, Treasurer Paul VanWestrienen, legal counsel Alison Hirschel, Southeast Michigan coordinator Toni Wilson, Kalamazoo chapter member John Weir, State Ombudsman Sarah Slocum, Hollis Turnham and a number of local ombudsmen were all present for the conference which provided a rich array of training and networking opportunities on diverse issues in long term care advocacy. State chair Bill Mania also had an opportunity to speak directly with top federal officials who regulate nursing homes to share his experiences and concerns. The Campaign is grateful to the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition and Citizens for Better Care for helping to support members’ attendance at this important annual event. For more information on NCCNHR, go to www.nccnhr.org or www.nursinghomeaction.org.

7. Excellent new books for consumers answers residents’ and families’ questions about nursing homes – A new book, The Baby Boomers’ Guide to Nursing Home Care by Eric Carlson and Katherine Hsiao is a comprehensive, easy to understand, authoritative, and enormously helpful guide to issues related to seeking nursing home care and living in a nursing home. Its question and answer format and "Word to the Wise" tips make it a reassuring and accessible resource. It also includes useful information about agencies to contact for help and
important information about paying for care. It's a terrific book and every consumer considering, seeking, or experiencing nursing home care should keep it close at hand! It is available at Amazon.com for $10.91. You can also purchase another excellent book by Eric Carlson called 20 Common Nursing Home Problems -- and How to Resolve Them which describes specific common but illegal nursing home procedures. The guide describes twenty of the most troublesome problems encountered by residents and families. For each problem, the guide lists the nursing home’s claim along with the law that shows that the claim is false. Then the guide takes the reader step-by-step through how the resident and family can protect their rights to high quality nursing home care. Both books are available at www.nsclc.org.
Another terrific resource for navigating the difficult world of nursing home life is the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform book, Nursing Homes: Getting Good Care There which is available at www.nccnhr.org for $11.95 (scroll down the home page to the bottom right hand corner and click on the book title). Senator Charles Grassley recommended this book by noting: "... a valuable tool for consumers seeking quality nursing home care" and Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP, observed: "Everyone with a family member or close friend in a nursing home should have [this book]."

8. National Campaign to “Advance Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes” kicked off on Sept. 29 – A national coalition has launched a two-year campaign to improve the quality of care and quality of life for nursing home residents. The campaign's coalition includes long-term care providers, caregivers, medical and quality improvement experts, government agencies, consumers and others. Campaign legal counsel Alison Hirschel attended the kick-off event in Washington on Sept. 29. Nursing homes, consumers and others can voluntarily join the campaign which seeks, among other things, to improve nursing home performance in specific areas such as the reduction of pressure sores and ensuring staff are consistently assigned to the same resident to improve continuity of care. Efforts in this state to move the campaign forward are being coordinated by the Michigan Peer Review Organization. As of the date of writing, only two nursing homes in the state have signed up: Autumn Woods in Warren and Froh Community Home in Sturgis. Consumers may wish to ask their local nursing home if they plan to join the Advancing Excellence Campaign and seek to ensure the facilities meet the Campaign’s goals. While consumers would like to see more ambitious goals for the Campaign, many feel any attention to nursing home quality is beneficial.