Legislative Bulletin: February Friday Advocacy Alert!

Legislators Return to Districts
The Legislature adjourned for recess earlier this week, and will be in their districts until Tues., Feb.24. This is a great opportunity for you to request a meeting with your lawmakers in their district offices to discuss your budget concerns before they return to negotiate and pass a final budget.

Once legislators return to Albany, they will work on their one-house budget bills, which will reflect each houses’ priorities for the final budget, followed by Joint Budget Conference Committees in mid-March. We need to ensure that our concerns are reflected in the Assembly and Senate one-house budget proposals, and that lawmakers and central staff are aware of our recommendations for final budget negotiations.

Please take time to schedule meetings with your lawmakers while they are on break next week. Bring along board members, staff, employees, residents – anyone who can help tell your organization’s story. Your advocacy efforts will be critical as we move towards a final budget. You can find legislators’ contact information here. Click here for LeadingAge New York’s Issue brief outlining our budget priorities. If you need assistance with your advocacy efforts, please contact Alyssa Lovelace.

Advocacy Alert! We are in the second week of our February Friday Letter Writing Campaign. Please take five minutes out of your day, and send the following letters to your lawmakers, urging them to take action on these critical issues:

E-prescribing Bill Passes the Senate, LeadingAge NY to Host Audio Conference on Tuesday
Legislation (A.4274 (McDonald)-S.2486 (Hannon)) that would extend the implementation date of the e-prescribing mandate to March 27, 2016 passed the Senate this week. We are expecting it to pass in the Assembly shortly after they return from break on Feb. 25. Members are encouraged to contact their lawmakers, urging them to support this important delay to the e-prescribing mandate and to ensure that long term/post-acute care providers have access to capital to improve their health information technology capacity.

Advocacy Applause! Thank you to the residents and management team at Jefferson’s Ferry in Long Island! Their advocacy program developed a letter to Health Commissioner Zucker, urging for a delay in the e-prescribing implementation – 158 letters were sent to the Department of Health!

LeadingAge NY will host an audio conference, Electronic Prescribing in Long Term Care, on Tues., Feb. 17 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The session will review the basic principles of electronic prescribing, I-STOP (Internet System for Tracking Over-Prescribing), as well as discuss the workflow challenges that long term care facilities, assisted living and home and community based services are facing when prescribing both legend and controlled substance prescriptions and taking verbal orders. Click here to register and learn more.

PAC Golf Tournament Registration and Sponsorships Now Available
The 2015 PAC Golf Tournament will be held on Mon., May 18 at Ballston Spa Country Club. Registration and sponsorship opportunities are now available online. Join us for breakfast and contests beginning at 10 a.m., followed by an 18-hole tournament and driving range and pro-clinic for those who just want to do a bit of practicing. We’ll meet at the 19th hole for a reception and prizes! Not a golfer? Not to worry, you can make your PAC contribution here.

Call for Award Nominations!
LeadingAge NY is now accepting nominations for the 2015 LeadingAge NY Annual Awards Program and Employee of Distinction Awards. Recognize the people in your organization and in the field working hard to make life better for aging services in New York State. Employee of Distinction Awards are a great opportunity to recognize front-line staff and connect with your legislators who will pass and then present a Legislative Resolution in their honor. Deadline for applications is Wed., Feb. 25. Click here for more information and to download the brochure and nomination forms.

Contact: Alyssa Lovelace, alovelace@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8844