Council for Allied Health in North Carolina


V. Reports

Council Advisory Board Subcommittee meeting 2/26:- Bacon Bacon said that last week a small Sub-Committee of the Council Advisory Board met at the North Carolina Health Facilities Association. He reported that the primary agenda item was carrying the Council’s message to the General Assembly by mobilizing support from the Council’s major partner institutions to continue to seek permanent funding for the Council. The short session of the General Assembly begins the first week in May. The Council request ($350,000) is part of the the 3 and half million dollar AHEC budget, which is included as part of the University request to 2006 General Assembly. Bacon noted that it is always a challenge in the short session years to get funding when the budget before the Assembly was not acted on in the long session of the previous year. However, Bacon said that there is cautious optimism that the Council will get a favorable hearing for a variety of reasons. The Council continues to have strong support from the Health Care Facilities Association, the North Carolina Hospital Association and others. In the broader context, the overall AHEC request has strong support from the UNC Campus and hopefully it will have the support of the UNC Board of Governors. Bacon expressed his belief that there is increasing recognition of the severe shortages that exist in the wide array of professions, including allied health. There is also increased recognition of the important role AHEC plays in bringing students to health professions and programs. Bacon concluded by saying that he came away from the Advisory Board meeting with an appreciation of the strong support that the Council has from its partner organizations and their commitment to work with the Council in support of the Council’s budget request. Proposed B.S. Degree program in Respiratory Therapy – Bill Croft Croft reported that he had met with persons from Appalachian State University, East Carolina and UNC-Charlotte regarding the possibility of establishing a B.S program in Respiratory Therapy. He said that the program that has been developed is a kind of hybrid online program; with the core curriculum taught online and with the clinical part onsite in a health care institution. Croft referred the Council and those in attendance to a handout that he had passed out detailing the program. Croft said that the respiratory component of it was 30 hours of post-professional instruction with the first 15 hours being the core classes and the other 15 being primarily the specialty area; either Adult or neonatal/pediatric care. He said the program was focused on immediate care because there was need to raise current practitioners ability to do these procedures. The program will educate students in the basic training to enable them to teach, do research or hold managerial jobs. This is an AS to B.S. completion program. Referring to the last page of the handout, Croft spoke about what would be required to move the program forward. The program that has been written and developed includes manager surveys, practitioner surveys, a written syllabus, books and schedules. This information has been sent to universities that have requested it including the three already mentioned. Croft said that at the end of March there will be a meeting to develop a bridge program for students to be able to dual track while they are doing respiratory studies so that they can transfer easier to the university system. Croft stated that he would like the Councils continued support of the program and formally thanked the NC Hospital Association for writing letters in support of the program; recognizing the need to advance the practice of respiratory care. Croft said that he was also seeking letters of support from physicians as well. Presently funding is the primary issue. Croft said that if money could be obtained one of the three universities will likely agree to sponsor the program. Appalachian State and East Carolina have expressed the strongest interest. Whatever, happens, Croft does not think that one program will be enough. What he has already seen is interest from 50% of the students currently enrolled in Respiratory Therapy programs. Noting this, Croft said that there would have to be a competitive admissions process. Otherwise the program would be difficult to administer. Once the commitment has been made (i.e. once it has gained sponsorship), a program coordinator will have to be hired. This person would have to be able to cover the clinical part of the program. Croft said that N.C. Respiratory Therapy Association wants to get the program approved by 2007. In concluding his remarks, Croft said that he felt strongly that this program was needed because of the need for respiratory therapy educators across the state. Lee McLean asked Croft if he knew what kind of faculty he would need for the program. Croft responded that at a minimum, qualified faculty would have to hold a masters degree but would preferentially hold a doctoral degree. Croft said that the latest human resources survey has provided information on the kind of people that will be eligible for positions and the required salaries. McLean followed up by asking “With the five core courses plus the clinical placement will you not need at least two extra new faculty dedicated to this program?” Croft responded that a program director and one other will be required at very least. In respiratory care you have traditionally had non-paid preceptors. In this instance, Croft did not think this would be completely possible because you would have to monitor the clinical sites. Elizabeth Rogers asked Croft if he had said that this would be a distance learning program. Croft responded that, yes, it was a distance learning program except for the clinical portion. He said the original design was to do it online because of cost issues. Rogers commented that students could therefore be from anywhere. Croft said that by doing it as a distance learning program it would allow the program to draw from the best students in the entire state rather than from just one region. This characteristic reflects the fact that this program is a statewide effort. Council Financial Statement – Brown, Treasurer Brown said that the Council had started its third month of the Continuation Grant from the Duke Endowment. This is a two year grant to support the Council until it can establish permanent funding. Brown said that the Council had received all but one of the matching funds that were pledged by partner institutions and organizations. Brown extended his thanks to these entities on behalf of the Council. Federal and State Legislative activity affecting Allied Health Professions – Porter Porter began by commenting on recent activities at the federal level. She said that there have been significant cuts to health care and educational programs. Perhaps the one that will affect the Council and its member organizations most is the just over 40 billion dollar cut over five years to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. These cuts affect those providing services, receiving services, educational programs, the NC Hospital Association and hospitals and the general population. Additionally there has been a reduction in federal share to the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) education program of 17%, which is down from 19.7% two years ago. PT/SLP/OT therapy caps and the reinstitution of these caps has been the foremost issue to those involved in these special therapies. These caps have been reemployed despite broad opposition to their imposition and they have affected the delivery and receipt of service of these special therapies. There has been a hopeful movement to generate exceptions to these therapy caps. Porter expressed her thanks to Rees Jenkins to alerting the Council leadership to submit a letter requesting that the list of conditions eligible for automatic exceptions to the therapy caps be as broad as possible, and consistent with the covered services for those people that receive SSDI. Porter said that Yoder would comment further on this. Porter continued, saying that the good news is that it looks like petitions have been listened to and the list of disabilities covered under the automatic therapy cap exception is pretty broad. Also a procedure has been instituted for manual exceptions for those not included under the automatic exceptions which makes a huge difference for those people with chronic disabilities and degenerative conditions. In state government Porter recalled that she has talked a lot about committee meetings in the past; and that Yoder had presented on behalf of the Council to the Joint Committee on Health Care , Subcommittee on Workforce. Porter said that this is where the action was right now in the General Assembly. Health related groups continue to meet, and Porter encouraged all present to follow some of these committee meetings through www.ncleg.net. Executive Director – Yoder Yoder directed the Council to several items in their information packets. The first was a letter addressing the therapy caps that Porter had drafted and had alluded to earlier in her remarks. The letter was sent to the major administrators at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, as well as to all the members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation. Yoder said that he had not heard back from any of the members of the delegation but that the Council had made its voice known on this issue. Yoder also directed those present to information that he had pulled off the American Speech and Hearing Association website that outlined what the current caps are. Yoder said that he had heard from some practitioners that dealing with the therapy caps has been quite cumbersome because of the paperwork involved. The automatic exemptions do appear to be quite extensive, however. Yoder next turned to a handout showing the enrollment numbers for allied health programs at the four year colleges across the state and in the community college system. Yoder said that it was worthy to note that at the four-year institutions there are currently about 3,000 students enrolled in allied health programs. Looking at the community college system, the enrollment number in allied health programs is about 10,000 students. Yoder directed the Council to an executive summary of the FuturePoint Summit meeting that Dean Peggy Valentine (WSSU) and he had attended last November. He said that it gave some idea as to what they were involved in at the national level in regard to work force issues. Yoder also noted that Valentine is one of the members for the planning committee of the next FuturePoint Summit meeting. Next he called attention to a letter in the packet written by Diane Groff and Karen Luken entitled “Membership on the Council for Allied Health in NC: What has it done for you lately?” The letter details the Council’s recent work and encourages greater involvement from the Council’s member organizations. Turning to his recent activities, Yoder said that he has continued to attend meetings of the HealthCare Works! meetings to represent the Council. He is also serving on the NCHA’s workforce advisory council. He said that he attended the State AHEC meeting in Pinehurst two weeks earlier. There he showed the Council’s new display and said that he would show it to the Council at the May meeting. Yoder said that Erin Fraher and he gave testimony to the House Subcommittee on Healthcare Workforce in February. Yoder said that he had also attended another meeting of this sub-committee during the past week. There were various reports given at this meeting and many of the presenters cited positive collaboration that they had had with AHEC. Yoder said that this continually highlighted the AHEC Initiative to legislators at the meeting. Because the Council is part of this initiative, such publicity was good for the Council as well. Yoder will attend the April 23 sub-committee meeting. Yoder said that the spring meeting of the Schools of Allied Health Professions will be meeting in DC, March 15-17. At this meeting, Fraher and Yoder have been invited to give a workshop. Yoder said that his section will address the topic of how to establish anallied health council while Fraher will speak on how to collect workforce vacancy data. Yoder said that he has also been invited to give the Dean’s Memorial Lecture at the meeting. Additionally, Yoder said that the Council staff will be sending out invitations to the professional association presidents in the coming week inviting them to the May 3 meeting. The invitation involves a request that each organization make a short presentation before the Council on their latest activities and issues of concern.