CMPs in New York State

LTCCC's CMP Stakeholder Summit

The summit attendees agreed to the following recommendations for the use of CMPs in NY State (see bottom of page for list of participants):

1. Absolutely require that funds be used for purposes directly related to nursing home residents. 

2. Expend funds for CMPs/fines primarily for special projects & programs that stimulate resident quality of care and quality of life that can ultimately be replicated.

3. Limit the use of funds for relocation, temporary management, other licensing and certification activities, and state emergencies to what is necessary.

4. Establish a public process including public notice of fund availability with a clear annual timeline for applications for funding of innovative projects and an objective review process.

5. Allocate sufficient funds for projects/activities /programs so that they can make a substantial, lasting impact and potentially a widespread impact.

6. Allocate funds for programs/projects that are practical and can be sustained and/or replicated by others after the funding has ended.

7. Authorize funds for innovative projects that go beyond regulatory requirements and ordinary budget items to improve residents’ quality of care and quality of life, encourage person directed care, promote consumer advocacy and involvement and stimulate and support the spread of “culture change.”

8. Target consumer focused projects such as work with family councils, resident councils, consumer advocacy organizations, and ombudsman projects.

9. Establish an evaluation process for all projects, using outside evaluation experts if possible.

10. Encourage programs/projects to be jointly developed with academic organizations, consumers (or their representatives) and established experts.

This summit offered the following recommendations in addition to those made in the national report:

1. Non-provider projects must be encouraged. It is important to make sure that small grassroots organizations and local ombudsmen programs are able to participate. Because these groups may not have the expertise in writing formal proposals,  it is important that the application process and proposal requirements are structured in a way that encourages and facilitates their involvement. 

a.  The state should have staff, easily accessible, to help such groups as they develop proposals. 

b. The state should facilitate these groups partnering with the needed experts.

c. The process must be simple enough not to burden such groups that do not have the staff to spend enormous amounts of time.

d.  The state should give examples of projects that it would consider funding to help such groups.

2.  Projects must be focused on making meaningful change.

a. Some of the funds should be used for projects that can be done quickly to make sure they benefit current residents while still meeting goals for replicability, sustainability, evaluation, etc…. 

b. Projects lasting two years should be considered if time is justified to reach desired outcomes.

c. Funding should not go for services or activities which facilities are already required to be performing.

3. There should be evidence that any project/project’s goals has broad stakeholder support.

a. If it is a project within a nursing home, the proposal should have resident and family support and they should be involved in the development and implementation of the project. 

b. If it is a more global project proposed by groups from outside the home, documentation, such as research, must be presented demonstrating that the goals of the project are ones that residents and/or family members and staff desire and can benefit from.

c. The proposal process should allow sufficient time to permit sponsors to get the “buy-in” from stakeholders.

4. Priority should be given to projects in the counties where the CMPs were levied.

5. Applicants must identify the underlying problems their projects will address, giving the scope of their projects and how many people will benefit.

6. Examples of areas that the state should consider funding:

a. Care of people with dementia

b. Staff shortages

c. Feeding issue

d. Mental Health

e. Food

f. Quality of Life

g. Transition/closure/discharge issues including housing issues and transfer trauma

h. Younger population

i. Activities

j. Culture Change

k. Enhanced relationships/communication among stakeholders: residents, families, staff, etc.

l. Improving the discharge process from nursing homes and facilitating transfer of information.

7. Department of Health should publicize the availability of funds

a. Release an initial press release with periodic follow-up releases about how many project requests received.

b. Send press release to all major newspapers in all geographic areas of the state.  Highlight what kind of proposals DOH is looking for.

c. Send press releases to other organizations including statewide and local advocacy groups and local ombudsprograms.

d. Put on DOH website– press release should be on home page of website.

e. Circulate information about projects funded in other states to give people ideas.

f. Send representative to have in-person presentations at Stakeholder meetings.

g. Send letters to family councils, resident councils, state and local ombudsmen.

h. Organize a half or one day conference.

i.   Arrange a questions and answers session. 

j.  Create a brochure that includes a summary of the request for proposal to make it more understandable.

CMP Stakeholder Summit Participants

Ann Berson               Alzheimer’s Association NYC chapter

Joan Burke               Ombudservice Family Service League, Suffolk County

Ellen Ensig-Brodsky  Manhattan Borough Wide Interagency Council of the Aging (MBIAC)

Jacqueline Case         New York State Ombudsman Association

Dolores D’Agostino   InnerAction Plus

Jed Levine                 Alzheimer’s Association NYC chapter

Shirley Genn              Brooklyn-wide Interagency Council of the Aging (BWICA)

Margaret Hadad        NY State Long Term Care Ombudsman Program in Westchester County

Marty Haase             NY State State Long Term Care Ombudsman

Janet LeMoal            Center for the Independence of Disabled of NY (CIDNY)

Geoff Lieberman        Coalition for Institutionalized Aged and Disabled (CIAD)

Richard Mollot           Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC)

Ellen Ott                    Hands On! The Hudson Valley Ombudsman Program

Amy Paul                  Friends and Relatives of Institutionalized Aged (FRIA)

Martin Petroff            Petroff & Bellin

Cynthia Rudder         LTCCC

Carol Rodat              Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute

Kim Steinhagen         Mental Health Association of New York City (MHA of NYC)

Susan Root               NYSOFA

Jody Signoracci         NYSOFA

Meghan Shineman     United Hospital Fund of NY (UHFNY)

Ava Chen                  LTCCC - intern

Samantha Russell       LTCCC - intern