Excerpt from 7/17/02 Advisory Committee meeting minutes

The February 6, 2002 training conference on "Developing Affordable Assisted Living" covered a broad range of topics important to developing a new facility, including regulations, market studies, facility design, development and long term financing resources, funding for resident care, services and operations, and financial feasibility analysis. The conference was attended by about 120 people, including developers, operators, consultants, public housing authorities, and a few county human service staff. It was well received.

We are planning another training conference for next year and need to decide whether to have another broad training overview or to focus on fewer topics in more detail.

Suggestions from the Committee included:

1. Topics to be covered:

• a. 2003 industry survey results
• b. Rate setting model
• c. Pricing structures (e.g., one price fits all, tiered rates, a la carte)
• d. Resources to supplement the MA Waivers: Medicaid personal care, housing choice vouchers, Food Stamps, etc. With budget cuts, people will want to know about other resources they can tap into.
• e. Demonstration projects f. Issues of interest to counties.
• g. National perspective. Jim Sykes was suggested as a possible speaker; he might be able to offer a legislative perspective on assisted living

2. Change the focus from developing affordable assisted living to keeping assisted living affordable. Address how RCACs can successfully serve clients as their needs and the cost of meeting those needs increase.

3. Find ways to get the counties more involved.

4. Consider moving the conference to later in the spring, when information from the survey is available and after the state budget has been introduced.