AHCA Strategic Goals & Objectives: 2009 – 2011

AHCA/NCAL Monthly Issues & Goals Update (March 2009)

American Health Care Association (AHCA)

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is a non-profit federation of affiliated state health organizations, together representing more than 10,000 non-profit and for-profit assisted living, nursing facility, developmentally-disabled, and subacute care providers that care for more than 1.5 million elderly and disabled individuals nationally.

AHCA represents the long term care community to the nation at large – to government, business leaders, and the general public. It also serves as a force for change within the long term care field, providing information, education, and administrative tools that enhance quality at every level.

At its Washington, DC headquarters, the association maintains legislative, regulatory and public affairs, as well as member services staffs which work both internally and externally to assist the interests of government and the general public, as well as member providers. In that respect, AHCA represents its membership to all publics, and national leadership to its members.

The ultimate focus is in the provision of quality care to the nation's frail, elderly, and disabled who are served by the long-term care professionals who comprise AHCA's membership. These providers believe that the individuals whom they serve are entitled to a supportive environment in which professional and compassionate care is delivered. This belief compels AHCA, its affiliates and member providers to advocate for individuals who – because of social needs, disability, trauma or illness – require services provided in a long term care setting, while also advocating for the continuing vitality of long term care provider community.

NCAL’s Advocating Care Excellence

National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL)

Understanding Assisted Living

The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) is the assisted living voice of the American Health Care Association (AHCA). NCAL is dedicated to serving the needs of the assisted living community through national advocacy, education, networking, professional development, and quality initiatives. NCAL’s proactive, national focus on assisted living legislation is backed by the strongest and most influential long-term care advocacy team in the country. NCAL members know that their voices will be heard by the national policymakers and regulators who continually seek to influence the future of assisted living.

In addition to national advocacy, NCAL supports state-specific advocacy effort through its national federation of state affiliates. NCAL state affiliates work to create local education, advocate on behalf of assisted living providers, and provide the direct, ongoing support their assisted living members need to improve quality and grow their businesses.

The Long-Term Care Imperative is a collaborative effort that began in 1999 between Minnesota’s two long-term care provider associations: Care Providers of Minnesota and Aging Services of Minnesota. The goal of this collaboration is to advance change in older adult services, leaving behind the institutional type of care for one that promoted personal choice, dignity, and options.

In 2000, we produced Principles for Change, a road map which outlined our vision for change. We saw a future of older adult services as one that provided options and choices for Minnesotans, a model of care far different than the (then) current long-term care reality.

The Principles for Change: 2003 Update documented the changes to date. Some initiatives set forth by the Long-Term Care Imperative were enacted in the 2001 legislature, but many were stripped away in subsequent sessions as the state wrestled with scaled-down budgets.

In 2007, we created Mapping the Future of Older Adult Services: Estimating the Need, a publication that looked at our progress to date, and where we are heading, based on the Demand Model -- an in-depth study of demographic trends, workforce data, family caregiving, care center finances, and community services.

Today, we are working together towards change in long-term care. We know that in the next few years, there will be an “age-wave” that will hit Minnesota. And our system of older adult services will not be able to handle the needs (and expectations) of this growing population. We need to make changes now that will care for the needs of today’s older adults, and provide the needed care for the age wave.

The Long-Term Care Imperative continues its work to educate the public, media, and Minnesota’s lawmakers on the importance of transformation and change, making sure we all receive the right care, at the right place, at the right time.