S-3699               _______________________________________________

                                           SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 138

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senators Wojahn, Guess, Stratton and Rasmussen

Read first time 1/22/86 and referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, An excess of hospital beds exists in both rural and urban communities in both large and small hospitals; and

          WHEREAS, A shortage of nursing home beds exists in both rural and urban communities; and

          WHEREAS, A swing-bed program has been instituted that allows rural hospitals with fewer than fifty beds to use their excess beds to provide nursing home care; and

          WHEREAS, A hospital participating in the swing-bed program will continue to be eligible for medicare and medicaid reimbursement; and

          WHEREAS, Nursing homes generally have waiting lists for admission; and

          WHEREAS, The swing-bed program may allow a hospitalized patient seeking nursing home placement to receive less expensive nursing home care while waiting for bed availability and placement in an appropriate nursing home; and

          WHEREAS, The swing-bed program is a cost-effective means of providing nursing home care;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Congress enact legislation that would enlarge the swing-bed program to include urban hospitals and hospitals with more than fifty beds.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.