Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Response Letter from Senator Stabenow - PLEASE INCLUDE COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN ITS COVID RELIEF PACKAGE!

 

 

 

Dear Patricia,

Thank you for contacting me about support for persons with disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views with me. 

In Michigan, we have lost over 6,000 people to this disease. Behind the numbers are our friends, parents, and children. My heart goes out to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Please be assured that I have been working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help Michigan families and workers. 

I agree that direct support professionals and all our workers serving on the front lines of this pandemic deserve our gratitude and more. That's why I am cosponsoring the COVID-19 Heroes Fund, which would provide pandemic premium pay to reward, retain, and recruit essential workers. I have also worked to increase Medicaid funding in Michigan and I called on the Trump Administration to ensure that people with disabilities and the home care workers that serve them are properly equipped against the virus. 

The CARES Act (P.L. 116-136) provided workers at companies with fewer than 500 employees and public sector employees with emergency paid leave for coronavirus-related reasons including self-care, child care, or caregiving. I will continue working to expand paid leave to every worker affected by this crisis.

As you know, there are so many more urgent needs that must still be addressed. I believe that Congress must act now to make sure our health systems have what they need to fight the virus,  that children can go to school, and that our businesses can open safely. I will keep fighting hard for the resources we need to address the immediate needs of our Michigan communities and the people of our state, including those with disabilities.

You can visit my website at stabenow.senate.gov/coronavirus for more detailed information on federal, state, and local resources. I encourage you to visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services websites for the latest information and recommendations on preventing further infection.

This pandemic is one of the biggest tests of our state and country’s fortitude and resilience. I have faith in the people of our state and know that working together, we will get through this.  Thank you again for contacting me. Please continue to keep me informed about issues of concern to you and your family.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please continue to keep me informed about issues of concern to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator

 

 

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow The United States Senate •Washington, DC 20510 stabenow.senate.gov

Ensuring Safety for Nursing Home Residents During COVID-19 & Beyond

 

 

With nearly half of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide occurring in nursing facilities, we continue to focus our advocacy on improving conditions for people currently living and working in facilities, while also pushing for reforms that will get and keep people out of these institutional settings. Last month, we reported that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) named Directing Attorney, Eric Carlson to serve on the agency’s Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes. In July, Eric participated in a Town Hall on the nursing facility crisis hosted by Representative Jan Schakowsky, Senator Bob Casey, Social Security Works, and Latinos Retire. View the recording here. Eric’s section begins at 55:42, where he discusses infection prevention practices and the need to rethink long-term care entirely in order to enable people to remain at home and in our communities as they age.

 

 

 

Working Across the Country to Stop Discriminatory Health Care Rationing During COVID-19

 

 

As states across the country experience surges in COVID-19 cases, and hospitals in some areas become overwhelmed with patients, states and local health entities are developing guidelines for health care providers to use should they need to resort to rationing care. Unfortunately, many of these guidelines would lead to older adults and people with disabilities being illegally denied life-saving medical care. Last month, we reported on our success in pushing the state of California to abandon their initial guidelines and develop a set of non-discriminatory guidelines, and are working with partners in other states to develop similar guidelines. We, along with disability rights partners, have also filed complaints to the Office of Civil Rights in the Department of Health and Human Services in several states including Arizona, Oregon, and Texas. The New York Times highlighted our work in an article about the ethics of care rationing.

 

 

 

Bazelon Center Releases New Publication - "Defunding the Police" and People with Mental Illness

 

August 14, 2020 - The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has released a new publication, "Defunding the Police" and People with Mental Illness, documenting the urgency of reducing the role of the police in the lives of people with mental illness.

In far too many communities, police take the lead in responding to people with mental illness who are in crisis or in need, with tragic consequences, especially for Black people with mental illness.  As many as one-quarter of the fatalities from police shootings are people with mental illness.

People with mental illness, especially those who are Black, have disproportionately suffered needless death and high rates of incarceration.  Approximately 20% of jail inmates and 15% of prison inmates have a serious mental illness.  Two million people with a serious mental illness are booked into jails each year, and the risk of being jailed is particularly high for Black people with mental illness. 

A contributing cause is the widely acknowledged dysfunction of our public mental health system.  Black people with mental illness are especially poorly served.  We must invest in public mental health systems, expanding their capacity to deliver community-based mental health services, housing assistance, substance use treatment, and income support.  As we build capacity, we must heed the voices of people with mental illness, including those who represent the racial, ethnic, gender, linguistic and other important types of diversity in our communities.

To minimize the police's role in responding to people with mental illness, the Bazelon Center urges that communities implement the following changes. 

Re-direct requests for police intervention. Calls involving people with mental illness should be redirected and handled by the mental health system in most cases.  Communities should identify situations, such as those involving violence to others, in which the police should also respond. The mental health system, and not police, should be deployed when the individual is suicidal and presents no risk to others.

Capacity for a mental health response.  The mental health system must take over some functions now performed by 911.  It should have the capacity to receive and respond to calls redirected from 911, calls from the police, and calls received directly.  Many calls will require dispatching mobile mental health staff, typically organized as mobile crisis teams, to respond quickly and de-escalate the situation.  There should be an array of facilities available for crisis care, including respite apartments, staffed apartments for short term stays, and crisis centers scattered throughout urban areas.  Short term detox facilities should be available as well, followed up by offers of treatment for substance use disorders.

Follow-up care.  After the immediate issue is resolved, the mental health system must follow-up, making sure the individual has access to needed services on an on-going basis.  Individuals with the most significant mental health needs should have access to housing assistance, intensive case management, peer support services, treatment delivered by a mobile team, and supported employment.  Services must reflect the voices and concerns of the full diversity of people with mental illness.

The full publication, "Defunding the Police" and People with Mental Illness, is available to download on the Bazelon Center's website.

 

 

Your Support Is Needed The Bazelon Center relies on contributions from our allies to ensure that our staff can fight for protections and services for people with mental disabilities. Please consider making a gift today.

 

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REMINDER: Take Action Today! Tell Congress to Say NO to Immunity for Nursing Homes and Other Long-Term Care Facilities

 

Last week, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, introduced a bill that would have devastating consequences on nursing home residents. The legislation, called the Safe to Work Act (S 4317), would remove a nursing home’s liability for all negligent care that harms or results in the death of residents from 2019 until 2024 - including harm totally unrelated to COVID-19.  Congress could make a decision about immunity at any time.  Please act now to urge your members of Congress to strongly oppose this bill.   Over 62,000 residents of long-term care facilities have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.  Countless other residents have fallen victim to short-staffing and inadequate care during the same time. These numbers continue to grow every day, and, in some states, COVID-19 infections are growing exponentially in nursing homes.  At a time when residents of nursing homes need more protections than ever, this bill would rob them of their right to pursue justice through the courts. It would also remove one of the last remaining protections for nursing home residents. With family, friends, and residents’ advocates banned from visiting, and state survey agencies rarely present in facilities right now, judicial recourse is the last avenue available to residents to hold facilities accountable. Without accountability there is nothing to deter facility  practices and actions that harm residents.   Please use our advocacy tool to tell Congress to say NO to granting immunity to nursing homes and other long term care facilities. Send your Representative and Senators a message that you will not tolerate removing protections for nursing home residents during the middle of a pandemic that has had such a disproportionate impact on residents.   Thank you for your advocacy!

 

Act Now! Tell Congress to say NO to granting immunity to nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Take Action For more information about COVID-19 and what you can do to help, visit our website at www.theconsumervoice.org.

 

 

 

COVID-19 Resources for Home Help Individual Caregivers and Clients

 

 

Home Help Individual Caregivers,

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is writing to share COVID-19 resources that may be available to individual caregivers and clients in the Home Help program.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the Home Help Client

Clients may be eligible for PPE. The client’s physician may order the home delivery of PPE if it is medically necessary. If you see a need for PPE, please encourage the client to check with his/her physician. 

Call 211 for Quarantine Care Kits and Other COVID-19 Resource

MDHHS is working with Community Action Agencies around the state to deliver Quarantine Care Kits to eligible households with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. One kit includes food. Another kit includes hygiene and cleaning products, home goods, and masks. The priority is to serve people who are in quarantine or isolation because of COVID-19 or are vulnerable to COVID-19 due to their age or underlying medical conditions.

The supply of Quarantine Care Kits is limited. They may not be available in all counties. Call 211 to check availability and get information about COVID-19 resources and supports in your county.

 

 

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