SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6502

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

           Health & Long-Term Care, February 2, 2000

                Ways & Means, February 8, 2000

Title:  An act relating to long‑term care training.

Brief Description:  Changing provisions on long‑term care training.

Sponsors:  Senators Winsley, Thibaudeau and Kohl‑Welles; by request of Department of Social and Health Services.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Health & Long-Term Care:  1/24/2000, 2/2/2000 [DPS-WM].

Ways & Means:  2/7/00; 2/8/00 [DPS (HEA)].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & LONG-TERM CARE

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6502 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

  Signed by Senators Thibaudeau, Chair; Wojahn, Vice Chair; Costa, Deccio, Franklin, Johnson and Winsley.

Staff:  Rhoda Jones (786-7198)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6502 as recommended by Committee on Health & Long-Term Care be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Loveland, Chair; Bauer, Vice Chair; Brown, Vice Chair; Fairley, Honeyford, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Long, Rasmussen, Rossi, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, Winsley and Wojahn.

Staff:  Tim Yowell (786-7435)

Background:  In recent years the number of elderly and disabled people living in adult family homes and boarding homes has grown significantly.  There are 10,000 residents living in 2,100 adult family homes, and 21,790 people living in 493 boarding homes.

It is generally recognized that residents in these facilities are more acutely ill and have more serious health care needs than in the past.  Increasingly, people with dementia and serious medical problems are living in community residential facilities instead of going as often to nursing homes.

Current law does not mandate that care givers in boarding homes have any training beyond basic first aid, CPR, and HIV infection control, unless the facility is contracted as an assisted living facility with the Department of Social and Health Services.  Care givers in adult family homes must have a fundamental training course completed within 120 days of their employment.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Beginning March 2002, caregivers in all long-term care settings are required to have an orientation before beginning employment.  Boarding home administrators and caregivers must pass department-approved basic training within 120 days of employment.  Boarding home administrators must have specialty training if they serve residents with special needs.

Adult family home caregivers must be indirectly supervised until they get their basic training within 120 days of employment.  Adult family home providers cannot admit anyone with dementia, mental illness, or developmental disabilities until they have had specialized training.  If a resident under their care develops special needs, administrators or residents managers must complete specialized training within 120 days of diagnosis.

Training for all caregivers, in all settings, must include innovative approaches and the department must develop a system for approving training programs and trainers.

The steering committee for community long-term care training and education is established to advise the department on rules relating to training materials, competency testing, training  effectiveness, and other training matters.  Membership of the committee is described.

Continuing education requirements for all caregivers  are described.

Training materials created by the department are considered in the public domain and are accessible for public distribution.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill provided a general direction for the enhancement of training across all long-term care settings. The substitute includes many more details of training requirements for caregivers and administrators in different settings,  provides direction to the department for expanding access to training opportunities, and establishes a steering committee to advise the department on rules related to training.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available on original bill.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For (Health & Long-Term Care):  Training caregivers and allowing facilities to participate in the training will significantly increase the quality of care in long-term care in this state.

Expanding training requirements is critical; however, people who care for others need to get paid a living wage to do the job, and training alone doesn't do that. Training requirements must go hand in hand with wide spread access training everywhere in the state.

Testimony Against (Health & Long-Term Care):  None.

Testified (Health & Long-Term Care):  PRO:  Ellen Rosbach, DOH/NCQAC; Bruce W. Reeves, Senior Citizens= Lobby; Donna Patrick, Developmental Disabilities Council; Kathy Leitch, DSHS, AASA; CONCERNS:  Carla V. Janes, Social Service Director in Skilled & Intermediate Care; Peter Nazzal, Catholic Community Services; Nick Federick, WAHSA; Jerry Reilly, WHCA; Diedrich Meinken, CareForce; Kary Hyre, LTC Ombudsman; Lauri St. Ours, Nor. ALFA; Mark Williams, Heritage House; Tom Stanley, Attorney for Assistant Living Providers; Louise Ryan Left, LTC Ombudsman Program; Bill Day, Adult Family Home Assn.; Jeff Larsen, WSRCC/UCP.

Testimony For (Ways & Means):  The bill is necessary to protect vulnerable people in long-term care facilities.  The same standards should apply to such facilities whether they have a state contract or not.

Testimony Against (Ways & Means):  None.

Testified (Ways & Means):  Senator Shirley Winsley, prime sponsor; Marta Acedo, Maria Hug, DSHS Aging and Adult Services Administration.