Call to Action-Contact Your Legislators TODAY About the Home Health Care Crisis
As many parents of medically-complex children know, getting nursing and/or home health care is challenging if not impossible. Budget proposals are being crafted in the next couple of weeks by the Senate and House health committees. They need to know that families need change in order for their children to successfully live at home. Below are the members of the committees.
Please take action by clicking the names below and sending an email to these senators and representatives. You can contact those for the county you live in or any and all of them. Make sure to include your name and address so legislators know you're an Indiana resident.
The pre-populated emails are from the perspective of a family & give a general view of the problem and possible solutions. If you have time, it would be helpful to share your personal experience like how the lack of in home nursing and home care affects your family and community.
You will likely receive auto-responses to your email, but that's ok! What's important is that they are hearing from as many families as possible. If you'd like to send your own email to all of the senators and representatives, click here (template to copy/paste is at the end of the post if you need help getting started)
Email template:
Dear Members of the Health Committee:
My name is (your first and last name) and I am a (say something about yourself-parent, taxpayer, healthcare professional, etc). I reside in district (list your district(s), find your district(s) here).
I am writing to ask you to address the crisis in home health care in Indiana in the upcoming state budget.
POSSIBLE POINTS TO INCLUDE:
*As described on the front page of the Indianapolis Star last week, home health care services in Indiana are in crisis.
*My family has been unable to access homecare or nursing services for our medically complex child.
*If your child has a waiver, explain the value of in-home care or Home and Community-Based Services: Medically complex children with physical disabilities have a right to receive at-home care from Medicaid instead of living in an institution. Today, however, these rights are not being fulfilled. A lack of nurses and home health care staff in Indiana makes the implementation of such policies unsuccessful.
*Include personal details. Tell your legislators how the lack of in-home nursing and home care affects your family and your community.
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
A comprehensive solution must engage home health care companies, home health nurses and direct service professionals, and family care providers, as well as the state and community institutions that support them. Policy reforms should include:
1. Increase state reimbursement rates to home health care agencies for both respite nursing and Prior Authorization (PA) nursing care.
2. Ensure that increased reimbursement rates are passed on to the direct service professionals and nurses.
3. Work with the homecare industry, nursing programs, and community colleges to expand workforce capacity.
4. Expand Family Caregiver programs and existing participant-directed services to include parents of minors.
In the upcoming budget, please include family-centered solutions to the crisis facing our medically complex children in Indiana.
Sincerely,
Name, Address, other contact information you'd like to share
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