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| October 31, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 This Week at CT Healthcare At Home
News UpdateSince the murder of home health nurse Joyce Grayson one year ago, the Association and its members have worked closely with legislators and members to establish new laws within Senate Bill 1. These include increased data collection to inform risk about patient history, added training on workplace violence prevention, timely reporting to the Department of Public Health of any violence/threats toward staff, and grant funding opportunities for high-risk future recommendations for added protections.
Our number one goal has been to remain steadfast in our support for our community providers’ safety, so they can continue to provide quality care in the community.
To help meet this goal, the Association and its members created a comprehensive toolkit. We've met with our healthcare referring partners to optimize communication and care coordination regarding the added data collection needed. While the steps to comply with the new laws are new to all, we are forging a path to greater protections for care in the community.
Monday, October 28th, marked one year sincethe tragic murder of Joyce Grayson, dedicated home health nurse. To offer support and remembrance for staff and others, Elara Caring (Joyce’s home agency for many years) held a special tribute highlighting Joyce’s life as a kind, supportive, expert behavioral health nurse as well as someone dedicated to her family, which besides her natural children included some 35 foster children over the years. Joyce’s impact and commitment to these children led Elara Caring to partner with the Connecticut Alliance of Foster and Adoptive Families “Prom Readiness” program by hosting a donation drive. On full display in Elara’s Rocky Hill office during Joyce’s tribute were dozens of prom dresses, tuxedos, shoes, make up and accessories. These donations give foster and adoptive teens an opportunity to live out their prom dreams just like all teens deserve.
In addition to the warm words of tribute offered by Ananth Mohan (Chief Operating Officer) and Kim Nystrom (President, Skilled Home Health), Elara dedicated a plaque to honor the life of Joyce Grayson. The plaque will be forever on display in Elara’s Rocky Hill office.  Well over 200 attendees, speakers, exhibitors and sponsors packed the Hartford Marriott Downtown last Thursday as the Association hosted its Annual Conference, Exposition and Business Meeting.
The day kicked off with “soon to retire” national NAHC icon Bill Dombi offering his view of the home care landscape as well as some highlights of the growth and changes in home care through the years. The Association gave special thanks to Bill’s career through a $1,000 donation to the newly established William A. Dombi Scholarship Fund at UCONN for an undergrad political science major. Also presented to Bill by Tracy Wodatch and Sister Suzanne Gross from Franciscan was a personalized/autographed basketball signed by Coach Dan Hurley (UCONN Men’s Basketball).
A leadership keynote was presented by SimiTree recruitment and retention expert Eric Scharber along with a closing uplifting keynote by Kathy Parry entitled Joy Jolt!
Nearly 30 exhibitors packed the space for the day, offering all types of business solutions for our members. Thank you to our exhibitors and generous sponsors for your support!
There were six breakout sessions on topics including OASIS resources, Hospice Trends and Program Integrity challenges, Marketing your Home Care Agency, using True Colors leadership assessment to optimize communication, Home Care audit trends and laws, and maintaining resilience and awareness for home care safety.
As a part of tradition, our annual awards were a highlight of the day and as follows:
Legislators of the Year:
Representatives Cristin McCarthy Vahey and Nicole Klarides-Ditra for their supportive Legislative Intent Discussion on House Floor to ensure compliance flexibilities for Home Health with Senate Bill 1.
Friend of Healthcare at Home:
Pete Smith from Rome, Smith & Kowalski for nearly 30 years advocacy support and expert lobbying for the Association’s legislative priorities.
Judith Hriceniak Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership:
Presented by Judith Hriceniak’s daughter Kim to Jennie Gallo, Executive Director at VNA Health at Home, and nominated by her entire clinical leadership team. Jennie leads a team who describes her as a leader by example, who is non-judgmental, supportive of the team and their ideas, one who fosters growth and education. Her door is always open, and she has a remarkable ability to recognize and nurture the potential within each team member. Her positive, upbeat attitude is contagious and creates a work environment where everyone feels empowered.
Association Hall of Fame 2024 Inductees:
Bill Dombi: NAHC President Emeritus, over 40 years in healthcare law and policy, national icon for home care and hospice advocacy
Carla Giugno: Dedicated home care nurse and leader, Association board of directors, policy committee chair, “Patients always FIRST”
Thank you to all our members and supporters for another successful conference!
Source: Remington Report
About 88% of non-institutionalized adults 65 and older in the United States had at least one of these nine frequently treated conditions among adults aged 65 and older. See Figure 1 for the percentage of adults treated for:
Source: McKnights Home Care, October 23, 2024
As head of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, William Dombi has navigated some of home care’s brightest and darkest days. Now, before he officially steps down from his role as president, Dombi reflected on the impact his work has had on the industry since his start in 1987.
“I came to NAHC with a particular aim,” Dombi told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse during an exclusive interview at the 2024 NAHC conference in Tampa, FL. “It was a mission. It was never just a job.”
That mission was to protect home health agencies from Medicare-initiated retroactive claim denials, which were eroding their ability to deliver care. Dombi helped NAHC win its ensuing lawsuit against the Health Care Financing Administration (now named the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services), giving NAHC the opportunity to rewrite the meaning, purpose and structure of home care in the US.
Membership NewsConnecticut Association for Healthcare at Home is a proud member of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), the nation’s leading resource dedicated to increasing the availability of quality, equitable health care for people living with a serious illness. CAPC is offering a 15% discounted membership rate to Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home members. CAPC members receive exclusive access to clinical training through a robust online course curriculum with free continuing education credits; small-group consulting with national experts in the palliative care field; hundreds of ready-to-use tools and technical assistance; webinars on hot topics; and a vibrant, collaborative community of health care professionals working with people living with a serious illness. One CAPC membership provides an organization’s entire staff with full access to CAPC training, tools, and expert resources. Learn more at capc.org or contact the CAPC membership team at membership@capc.org.
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