National Coalition for Long Term Caregivers, Arizona Seniors Sign 10-Foot Petition Urging AZ Congressional Delegation to Defend Needed Funding as National Entitlement Reform Discussion Proceeds

Nursing Centers Like Choice Rehab in Sun City West and Osborn Health & Rehabilitation in Scottsdale Help Generate $1.9 Billion Annually in State Economic Output, Employ 17,778 Workers

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Elderly residents, their caregivers and family members from Osborn Health & Rehab skilled nursing facility in Scottsdale joined with the national Coalition to Protect Senior Care (CPSC) today to sign a 10-foot scroll to the Arizona congressional delegation respectfully urging them to help ensure Medicare and Medicaid funding remain strong and viable programs as several different entitlement reform concepts and approaches are now under discussion in Washington, D.C.  Elderly residents and their caregivers at Choice Rehab skilled nursing facility in Sun City West, AZ will follow with a press conference and petition signing on Wednesday, June 15th.

"Arizona seniors' ongoing access to quality care as well as the jobs of caregivers like those here in Scottsdale and Sun City are directly tied to the critical national discussion surrounding entitlement reform – and we are here to say the details of the various approaches are critical," said Lisa Cantrell, national spokesperson for the CPSC, who traveled from Joplin, MO for both petition signing events. "Centers like these are often the largest employers in many communities, and are as vital to the local jobs base as they are vital to seniors' care." The CPSC is a national coalition of health care assistants, long-term care nurses, certified nursing assistants and others who deliver round-the-clock, front-line care to seniors.

Emphasizing the fragility of Arizona's Medicaid program, Cantrell and center Administrator Forrest Peterson also noted that the differential between the actual cost of providing quality care and what Medicaid actually reimburses facilities like Osborn Health & Rehab is $6.96 per patient day, according to a recent Eljay study released by the American Health Care Association (AHCA). "With 70 percent of our center's budget directly related to staffing, the details surrounding entitlement reform will have a strong, direct impact on our continued ability to deliver high quality care," Keane said.

"While quality patient care is at stake in the broad national discussion, jobs and the very well-being of our community are also at stake," he continued. Second only to hospitals as the state's largest health facility employer, Arizona's skilled nursing and rehab facilities generate $1.9 billion in state economic activity annually, help support 17,778 jobs statewide, employ 11,946 workers, and are a major local employer of key frontline care staff. (Source: Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care "Care Context" policy series created with analytic support from Avalere Health)

According to Tammy Lake, a Certified Nurse Aide (CNA) at Choice Rehab in Sun City West, strong Medicaid and Medicare funding are needed to maintain ongoing quality improvement programs now benefitting seniors. "Front line care is a 24/7/365 effort and we have a total commitment to our patients, who are like family members. Our most vulnerable frail, elderly and disabled patients deserve the best care, and we will do whatever we can do to help ensure this is always the case."

Among the Coalition to Protect Senior Care membership are: American Association for Long Term Care Nursing (AALTCN) -- Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care -- American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) -- American Health Care Association (AHCA) -- American Health Quality Association (AHQA) -- American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) -- American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) -- American Society of Health Care Administration Executives (ASHCAE) -- Coalition of Women in Long Term Care (COWL) -- National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) -- National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) -- National Rural Health Association  -- Senior Clinician Group

SOURCE Coalition to Protect Senior Care