Oklahoma Long-Term Care Advocates
to Depart on Statewide RV Tour
“Driving for Quality Care” Tour Stresses Need for Legislature to Address Senior Care Funding
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 16, 2011) – With seniors’ continued access to quality health care in jeopardy, Oklahoma’s long-term care advocates have joined the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living nationwide “Driving for Quality Care” RV tour.
The statewide tour will visit 20 Oklahoma counties. The goal of the tour is to raise awareness of the funding issues affecting senior care and to urge the Oklahoma congressional delegation and Gov. Mary Fallin to help resolve the chronic underfunding of Oklahoma’s long-term care services.
The tour will stop in Altus, Comanche, Pauls Valley, Woodward, Alva, Medford, Enid, Norman, Sapulpa, Owasso, Claremore, Grove, Bethany, Edmond, Shawnee, Wewoka, El Reno, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The tour kicks off March 23 in Altus and ends May 4 in El Reno. Participants at each stop will have an opportunity to sign a petition in support of adequate funding for senior care in Oklahoma.
The tour is organized by the Coalition of Advocates for Responsible Eldercare, the political action committee for the long-term care profession in Oklahoma. The RV will be driven by Scott Proctor, the former owner of Ryan Nursing Home. Proctor’s nursing home closed in 2010, due to funding cuts.
“The long-term care profession is extremely underfunded and I know firsthand what can happen when funding is continuously cut,” said Proctor. “I had to sit down with every resident, family member and employee, look them in the eye and tell them I could no longer operate as a business.”
About 110 Oklahoma nursing homes have closed since 1998, due largely to inadequate state funding. Home closures are not only an inconvenience to residents and families, but also a blow to local economies. Nursing homes in rural communities are often the top employer.
Despite the poor funding, Oklahoma nursing homes continue to earn high satisfaction scores. With improved funding, long-term care facilities will have the resources needed to implement quality improvement programs, which serve as a cornerstone of the profession’s mission.
“This RV tour emphasizes the need for adequate, stable and consistent Medicaid funding, which is crucial for high quality care, quality of life, and quality staffing in care communities across America,” said Proctor.
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