BAYADA helps take first steps toward improving standards for school-based nursing care

With increased uncertainty around government supported programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and the changing regulatory environment it is critical to be active in shaping government policy.” David J. Totaro, Chief Government Affairs Officer.

In Trenton on Monday, January 30, the Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee heard testimony on a first-of-its-kind bill that would protect medically fragile children by requiring their in-school nurses to have specialized training. Passing unanimously, this momentous vote was over a year in the making.

In late 2010, BAYADA Government Affairs Office Ambassador and Voorhees, NJ Pediatrics South (VPS) Clinical Manager Kimberly Flynn, VPS Director Debra Magaraci, and New Jersey Government Affairs Office Director Louise Lindenmeier arranged for Senator James Beach to visit with three year old BAYADA client, Amelia Rivera of Stratford, NJ.

“Amelia was born with a rare genetic disorder called Wolf-Hirschhorne syndrome (WHS),” explained Kimberly Flynn, RN, a clinical manager with BAYADA Home Health Care.

According to Flynn, Amelia’s BAYADA nursing team is reimbursed by the state funded Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program, which is part of the NJ FamilyCare Medicaid program.

Amelia’s coverage will be transferred to an HMO, and her parents were worried that the change could result in a reduction of her nursing hours.

“There was a line item in the budget that would have helped with this issue, but it was vetoed” said Senator Beach, speaking about the new budget. “It is a balancing act. We have to be concerned about the taxpayer, but not at the expense of the most vulnerable members of our population.”

As a result Senator Beach sponsored legislation in the Senate and Assemblyman Herb Conaway sponsored an Assembly version of the same bill, #A-1838 which “Establishes standards of practice for clinical nursing service providers for medically fragile students.”

Assemblyman Conaway, the chair of the Assembly health committee, heard testimony from Louise and two BAYADA clients before helping to pass the Assembly version and Monday was the first step in the legislative process toward this bill becoming a law.

This legislature further finds that “Medically fragile students who require clinical nursing services while attending school should expect and receive the same level of care they receive at home.”

To make it to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law, the bill must now pass through votes in the Senate health committee, and then the full Assembly and Senate on March 15. This bill will give families choice of providers and will require the school districts to only use Medicaid approved providers with PDN expertise.

“As you can see our work at BAYADA takes the efforts of many” said Louise Lindenmeier, director, Government Affairs with BAYADA Home Health Care. “As a result we were able to connect Senator Beach with one family and make him aware of the work we are doing” she continued.

We advocate to support the BAYADA vision of making it “possible for millions of people worldwide to experience a better quality of life in the comfort of their own homes” and to “build and maintain a lasting legacy as the world’s most compassionate and trusted team of home health care professionals.

Together, we can influence the laws and policies that affect how home health care is provided to those who need it most. Our Legislative Advocacy Center is here to ensure that your voice is heard loud and clear.

If you’d like to stay up-to-date on issues affecting you and take action to make a real difference for those who depend on home health care, join our Legislative Advocacy Center today. Registration is quick and easy.