Editor’s note: This is a provocative essay. It includes a reference to the Worcester (MA) Recovery Center, a facility for 320 long-term patients with private rooms and “a recovery-inspired residential design” which opened in 2012. If you have observations or comments regarding the essay which you would like to share, please send them to Digest@DignityAllianceMA.org. […]
Category: News
Opinion by Richard T. Moore, former Massachusetts State Senator and Chair Dignity Alliance Massachusetts Legislative Workgroup, July 17, 2023FYI: Dignity Digest 145 contains the footnotes for this article. In the Pacific Northwest, “As records toppled, lives were lost. Early investigations suggest that nearly one thousand people died as a direct result of the Pacific Northwest […]
The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) is seeking input on proposed updates to the regulations for its Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. The proposed rule is the first substantial update to most OAA program regulations in 35 years. Scroll Down to read comments or download Dignity Alliance MA submitted comments. Richard Moore, Arlene Germain, […]
June 19, 2023 Dignity Alliance MA supports increasing the payment for PCA’s to at least $25 per hour. 45 individuals and organizations have endorsed the following letter to Governor Healey, asking her to implement this increase immediately. Letter to Governor Healey Dear Governor Healey, On behalf of the membership of the Dignity Alliance of Massachusetts, […]
Study Session with State Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi Thursday, June 29, 2023, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Director of Rural Affairs Anne Gobi will be the featured guest for a DignityMA Study Session scheduled for Thursday, June 29, 2023, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Former State Senator Anne Gobi was selected by Gov. Maura […]
A Woman of Valor: Arlene Germain Disability Issues, Spring 2023 Vol.43 No. 2 By Sandy Alissa Novack I recently had the privilege of interviewing Arlene Germain, co-founder of Dignity Alliance Massachusetts. The following interview has been edited to fit in Disability Issues. Sandy Novack: Arlene, please tell us your first introduction to concerns about disability […]
Senate Special Committee on Aging Report: Nursing Home Survey Agencies are Severely Understaffed As reported by The Consumer Voice, May 19, 2023 Today, the Senate Special Committee on Aging, led by Chairman Bob Casey, released a new report, “Uninspected and Neglected: Nursing Home Agencies are Severely Understaffed, Putting Residents at Risk.” The report details a […]
CMS eager to leverage new nursing home ownership data, leader confirms McKnight’s Long Term Care, April 26, 2023 By Kimberly Marselas A top Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enforcement official said Tuesday that the agency is eager to use data collected under a proposed ownership transparency rule to “scrutinize how certain ownership types correlate […]
SJC reinstates criminal charges against managers of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, where 76 died early in pandemicBoston Globe, April 27, 2023By Ivy Scott and John R. Ellement Families of the veterans say the decision offers ‘a glimmer of hope’ as they prepare for the upcoming trial.The state’s highest court reinstated criminal charges on Thursday against Bennett […]
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Most Sweeping Set of Executive Actions to Improve Care in History Scroll down to see the reactions Disability Scoop, the AARP and the American Association for People with Disabilities (AAPD). The White House, April 18, 2023 Today, President Biden will announce the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has ever […]