Resolution Commitment To Save TennCare and End the Institutional Bias in Tennessee


Link to an Adobe "pdf" version of the Resolution.

Link to a MS Word version of the Resolution.

Resolution

Commitment To Save TennCare and End the Institutional Bias in Tennessee

 
WHEREAS thousands of people with disabilities and older Tennesseans currently need or will need long term services and supports to live in the community; and 

WHEREAS the current long term care system is fragmented, overly medicalized, bureaucratic, expensive with an institutional bias that unnecessarily places people with disabilities and older Tennesseans in nursing homes and other institutions; and 

WHEREAS the cuts to TennCare will only increase thousands of people with disabilities and older Tennesseans to be forced into nursing homes and other institutions; and

WHEREAS the Supreme Court in the Olmstead vs LC decision ruled in 1999 that people have the right to services in the most integrated setting; and 

WHEREAS the American public overwhelmingly wants long term care services and supports in their own home and communities; and 

WHEREAS the reform of the long term care system must be a cooperative partnership between the federal government, the states and the disability/older community, 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Your Organization's Name Here by a vote of the Board of Directors: 
  1. Supports the Citizens to Save TennCare protest currently in the state capitol and supports their demands, and
  2. Believe the institutional bias in the current long term services and support system must be reformed through a cooperative effort by the state government, the disability/older community; and 
  3. Believe the long term services and support system must include the principles that home and community services and supports are the first priority and that support services should be provided in the most integrated setting; and 
  4. Demand no person with a disability or older American should be forced into a nursing home or other institution because of the lack of community options; and
  5. Believe that people with disabilities and older Americans must integrally participate in the design, implementation and review of the long term services and support system; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Your Organization's Name Here supports the passage and funding of the Money Follows the Person, legislation that includes nurse delegation and funding to provide nursing home transitional services; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Your Organization's Name Here strongly suggests that the Governor’s office work with the disability and aging community, through public forums to assure that the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision is aggressively implemented and that the measure of this implementation be, in a year, how many people have gotten out of nursing homes and other institutions and how many people have been diverted from nursing homes and other institutions; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Your Organization's Name Here strongly suggests that Governor Bredesen work with the disability and aging community, through public forums to assure that any 1115 waivers submitted by the State should have statewide public hearings before development and submission to HHS, and that the 1115 waiver process should not be used to undercut current community Medicaid services and federal protections; and 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Your Organization's Name Here strongly suggests that Governor Bredesen supports reform of the long term services and support system that does not result in block granting funding to the states and removal of the current national Medicaid protections. 

Date Signed: 
Signature: 
Contact Address: 

Link to an Adobe "pdf" version of the Resolution.

Link to a MS Word version of the Resolution.

Memphis Center for Independent Living 
Randy Alexander 
(901) 726-6404 
(901) 359-4982 cell
randy@mcil.org