The Public Policy Committee will meet at the AHCA office - 1440 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite C-102. All members are welcome to attend. The Public Policy committee meets to provide public policy oversight and direction for the Arizona Health Care Association. This committee assists in advocacy on both the administrative and legislative level and acts as the liaison between the AHCA membership and the state and federal lawmakers.

The AHCA Board of Directors will meet at the AHCA office, 1440 East Missouri Avenue, Suite 202 at 9:00 am. The board meeting is open to all AHCA members.

MARK YOUR CALENDERS: The Arizona Assisted Living Nursing Association will hold a statewide workshop on June 20, 2008 entitled How to Manage Infections and Pain in Assisted Living. The workshop will be held at Encore Senior Village at Paradise Valley, 16621 North 38th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85032, Phone (602) 787-0800. For a copy of the registration brochure, please click here. For more information, please contact Karla Averill at 602-265-5331 or kaverill@azhca.org.

The Arizona Department of Health Services, Division on Licensure is offering several training opportunities on the reduction of ulcers and restraints in assisted living. Click here for a copy of the registration form or go to the DHS website at http://www.azdhs.gov/als/index.htm. The class is free and there are 3 CEU’s available for completion of the training. The Training in Tucson will be held June 24th. Please contact Karla Averill if you have additional questions at (602) 265-5331, or e-mail at kaverill@azhca.org.

Cindy Leach, President of Residents First and AHCA board member will present a workshop on preparing for an assisted living survey. Particpants will learn what documentation to have ready when DHS enter the building, how the rules are utilized in the AL process, and what to expect through the AL survey process. The workshop will be held at Villa Maria Assisted Living, 4310 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ. Registration brochures will be sent to all assisted living communities in June. For more information contact Karla Averill, AHCA Director of Assisted Living and Business Development at 602-265-5331, or email her at kaverill@azhca.org.

The Conference/Education Committee will meet at the AHCA office - 1440 E. Missouri Avenue, Suite C-102. All members are welcome to attend. The Conference/Education committee meets to assist in planning the spring conference and the annual conference. Speakers are suggested and reviewed; topics and themes are discussed; as well as ideas for additional training and education offered through the Association. This committee is also responsible for assisting with generating sponsorship for educational events and may assist with other education and fundraising endeavors.

The AHCF Foundation Board of Directors will meet at the AHCA Offices. The meeting is open to any member interested in the Foundation.

The Quality & Regulatory Committee will meet at the AHCA office, 1440 E. Missouri Ave, Suite C-102 at 9:00 am. The Quality & Regulatory committee provides leadership in quality assurance and improvement in long term care. The committee will focus on working with various levels of government, and assist members in education regarding regulatory issues on a state and national level. There will be continuing emphasis placed on the implementation of Advancing Excellence in Long Term Care. Additionally, the committee will address workforce issues, and provide a way for all nursing professional development.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) has finalized the rule establishing reporting requirements for all skilled nursing facilities. It is critical that you have a trained preparer to complete the new SNF UAR within your organization. This workshop is offered near the fiscal year ends of June 30 or September 30. Choose the one that best fits your schedule. For a copy of the registration brochure, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact John Linda, AHCA Director of Member Services at 602-265-5331 or email him at johnlinda@azhca.org.