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A Publication of the Washington State Residential Care Council (WSRCC)
For Professional Adult Family Home Providers
www.wsrcc.org
October 2014
From the Executive Director
Hello Adult Family Homes Providers of Washington,
Last week at WSRCC’s Annual Fall conference, there were approximately 375 providers, caregivers, speakers and vendors in
attendance. The conference featured more than 30 vendors and 11.5 hours of CE available for attendees, plus an additional two
hours of free online CE provided by one of WSRCC’s training partners at Cornerstone Health Care Training. Classes ranged from
Labor & Industry issues to Preparing for the Holidays. Featured speakers from ProviderOne came to educate, help, and enroll
providers in the new Medicaid payment system scheduled to go online in November of 2014. (For more information Click Here.)
Residential Care Service’s policy unit manager Doug Mora was also a featured speaker. Doug shared important information about
how to complete the newly required disclosure of services form. Instructions for Completing & Submitting the form are available at
these links. You may also Reference the “Dear Provider” letter from September 29 th Resident Rights: Disclosure of Services Form.
Also, on the first day of conference we addressed those in attendance and a number of guests including members of the
Washington State Legislature and Long Term Care Ombuds on the results of WSRCC’s collective bargaining. The decision handed
down by the arbitrator awards a 10% rate increase over the next biennium for adult family homes. This decision awards a 5%
increase effective July 1st 2015 and another 5% increase effective July 1st 2016. Homes with Expanded Community Services (ECS)
contracts will also receive a 10% increase on the same schedule. This decision also protected the enhanced contract rate for
homes specializing in HIV/AIDS the state proposed cutting last year. We consider this a good first step in securing rates that are
reflective of the services AFH providers provide. The WSRCC is still engaged with the state over issues introduced at the bargaining
table that were not allowed to be ruled on from this arbitration. Those issues include increased rates for residents requiring a two
person assist, awake staff at night, or transportation. We are also requesting better compensation for residents with assessed
behaviors and an increased rate for providers serving 4 or more Medicaid residents. The state has claimed these issues are not
within the scope of our bargaining. We see them as matters of economic compensation and well within our rights to request.
There is a hearing scheduled later this month to determine the next steps.
Our work is not done. This 10% increase will need to be funded by the legislature in order to occur. We will be asking all AFH
providers to help get the word out to the right people in Olympia during the upcoming session. Our Lobby day is scheduled for
February 5th 2015 (more information to come). We will be preparing talking points and information for you to share with your
local legislators.
We also shared good news about the new leadership at Residential Care Services (RCS). Please see the article and information (on
page 2) provided by RCS Director Carl Walters describing his interest in recalibrating “our working relationship with you so we can
all better serve the vulnerable adults of our state.”
Finally for those providers who were unable to attend our conference because of time, money, coverage, or distance, we here at
the WSRCC are looking to bring increased opportunities to your communities. Over the next year we will attempt to reach out to
as many corners of our state as possible to bring you training opportunities and important updates about the issues that affect you
and adult family homes. Please stay in touch with your local chapters and the state office for updates.
Thank you,
John Ficker
WSRCC Executive Director
www.wsrcc.org
Page 2
Meet DSHS’s New RCS Director Carl Walters
On September 29th, WSRCC’s board president, vice president and executive director met with the new director of
Residential Care Services, Mr. Carl Walters II. Along with his executive leadership team, Mr. Walters outlined his vision
for the new direction in which he would like to lead RCS. Mr. Walters spoke with our board about increasing
collaboration, reducing fear, fostering respect, and remaining focused on our common goal of quality care for those we
serve. Mr. Walters and his team took the time to hear from the WSRCC about issues that may impact the success of his
vision. WSRCC shared stories of providers who were frustrated, afraid, confused, and/or unclear about the regulatory
process. These concerns were heard. In fact, he requested a letter from the WSRCC outlining the concerns so that he
and his leadership team could review and problem solve. The WSRCC is very optimistic and grateful for the leadership
that Mr. Walters has displayed. What follows is an executive biography of Mr. Walters and an outline for how he
intends to turn his vision into action.
www.wsrcc.org
Meet DSHS’s New RCS Director Carl Walters, cont.
Page 3
www.wsrcc.org
Page 4
www.wsrcc.org
Dear Provider Letters
Page 5
www.wsrcc.org
Newly Required “Disclosure of Services” Form
Page 6
www.wsrcc.org
Page 7
Legislator Visits to Your Local Chapter Meetings
Your local legislators have been invited to your upcoming chapter meetings. We have held 5 meetings with
legislators so far and it has been very informative for both the legislators and the providers. We hope you
will take the time to come join us to share your thoughts and listen to theirs as well. We need them and
they need you! If you have questions, you can contact your local chapter leaders @
https://www.wsrcc.org/about/chapters
Central WA Chapter - Tuesday, October 21, 2014 @ 1:00p @ the Yakima Valley Hotel
and Conference Center, 1507 N 1st Street, Yakima, 98902
Pierce County Chapter - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 @ 1:00p @ the University Place
Library, 3609 Market Place West, University Place, 98466
Spokane County Chapter - Tuesday, November 18, 2014 @ 12:00p @ the Service Station,
9315 N Nevada, 99218
Do you participate in your local chapter
meetings?
Do you take part in free local training and networking
opportunities?
Get more information here
Central Washington Chapter
Clark County Chapter
Eastside (Bellevue) Chapter
Fourth Corner AFH Chapter
Kitsap County Chapter
Olympia Chapter
Pierce County Chapter
Sno-King Chapter
So East Chapter - Tri-Cities & Surrounding Areas
South King County Chapter
Spokane Regional Chapter
Washington State Residential Care Council
523 Pear Street SE - Olympia, WA 98501
Office - 360-754-3329 * Fax - 360-943-6653
www.wsrcc.org - [email protected]
www.wsrcc.org
Page 8
WSRCC’s Executive Board Nominations
September 29, 2014
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
Three Executive Board positions are due for reelection and one position is vacant and needs to be filled. The positions are:
Region One Delegate (Spokane, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan, Douglas, Chelan, Grant, Adams,
Whitman counties)
Region Three Delegate (Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan counties)
Region Four Delegate (King County)
At Large Delegate (statewide)
Nominations for Region One, Three and Four must come from and be for WSRCC members in good standing in those designated counties.
The “At Large” position must come from and be for a WSRCC member in good standing anywhere in the state.
Nominations should include the name and license number of the nominee and nominator.
You can nominate yourself
Can be submitted via email at [email protected], by FAX at (360)943-6653, by phone 1-888-439-8999, or mail to
WSRCC 523 Pear St SE Olympia, WA 98501
Nominations must be submitted no later than November 18
Once nominations close the nominating committee of the board will review the nominations and create a ballot to be distributed to all
WSRCC members in good standing. Each licensed home will receive one vote. Voting will close on 12/29/14. New Board member will be
announced around January 5, 2014.
The term of service is three years. Please see page 2 for more information about the duties and responsibilities of board members. If you
have questions or want additional information please feel free to contact me directly at (360)754-3329 or by email [email protected].
Sincerely,
John Ficker
Executive Director
www.wsrcc.org
Page 9
WSRCC’s Executive Board Qualifications and Responsibilities
The following describes the qualifications and responsibilities of the WSRCC board members.
The purpose of the Board, on behalf of WSRCC’s membership, is to ensure that WSRCC (1) achieves appropriate results for the membership at an
appropriate cost (as specified in Board Ends Policies), and (2) avoids unacceptable actions and situations. The Board commits itself and its members to
ethical, professional, and lawful conduct, including proper use of authority and appropriate decorum when acting as Board members.
General Duties of the Board of Directors of WSRCC:
On behalf of the membership it represents, the Board of Directors assumes direct responsibility for defining and ensuring appropriate organizational
performance.
 The Board of Directors will be the conduit linking the membership’s interests and operational performance through needs assessment and advocacy.
 The Board of Directors will develop and maintain written governing policies that realistically address the broadest levels of all organizational decisions
and situations.
 The Board of Directors will assure successful Executive Director’s performance.
 The Board of Directors will make determinations regarding membership dues.
 The Board of Directors will establish the WSRCC’s legislative and public policy agendas, on behalf of the membership.
 The Board of Directors will assume responsibility for the Collective Bargaining process, including the establishment of the Collective Bargaining
negotiating team.
 The Board of Directors carry one (1) vote on each motion presented at the WSRCC Executive Board Meetings.
General Responsibilities of the Board of Directors of WSRCC:
 Attendance at all WSRCC Executive Board Meetings (8 regularly scheduled in-person meetings with additional conference call meetings as
necessary).
 Preparation and participation of agenda materials in advance of Board and committee deliberations and will participate productively in discussions.
 Voluntarism in Board activities and committees.
 Participation in organizational activities such as attendance at the two state-wide
legislative awareness days.
conferences, chapter meetings, state-wide trainings, and
 Board of Directors are encouraged to participate in events/functions, such as but not limited to face to face meetings to cultivate relationships with
legislators, availability to represent WSRCC at events and functions as the Board may determine.
WSRCC Board members must:

Be members of WSRCC in good standing;

Be an adult family homeowner for a minimum of two years before assuming office, and

Have no history of or current substantial enforcements or violations with DSHS, Labor and Industries, IRS, or other government sanctions against the
adult family home.
The Board of Directors shall be composed of eleven (11) persons, each of whom must be general members, in good standing, of WSRCC. Board
members shall be elected to terms of three (3) years. To ensure the Board’s composition includes representation of geographically diverse areas of the
State of Washington, the Board will be comprised of four (4) at-large Directors, at least one of which must come from Eastern Washington and seven (7)
Region Directors, to represent each of the six regions as set forth by the State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) with two
Directors from King County. Terms shall be staggered so that two of the region directors’ terms, and up to two of the at-large directors’ terms, will expire
each year.
www.wsrcc.org
Caregiver Alert: Emergency Preparedness
Page 10
www.wsrcc.org
Page 11
Caregiver Alert: Emergency Preparedness, cont.
Where to find more information:
Many local and state government websites contain good information on planning for emergencies. Here are some resources:
Washington State Department of Health
http://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/GetReady
This website has several resources, including:
Emergency Resource Guide
Emergency supplies checklist
Fact sheet on household preparedness
National Organization on Disability
http://nod.org/disability_resources/emergency_preparedness_for_persons_with_disabilities/
Here you can find helpful tips on disaster readiness for people with disabilities:
California Department of Developmental Services Consumer Corner
http://www.dds.ca.gov/ConsumerCorner/EmergencyPreparedness.cfm
Here you will find:
Safety videos
Printable magnets
“Feeling Safe, Being Safe” booklet with emergency planning exercises
Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness (IS-22) provides a step-by-step outline on
how to prepare a disaster supply kit, emergency planning for people with disabilities, how to locate and evacuate to a
shelter, and contingency planning for family pets. Natural hazards and man-made threats from hazardous materials and
terrorism are also treated in detail. To order, call the FEMA Distribution Center at 1-800-480-2520. Available in English
and Spanish.
Know how to get emergency information when disaster strikes:
Check your television or radio for emergency information
On the Internet:
Access Washington: http://www.access.wa.gov
Washington Disaster News: http://www.wadisasternews.com/go/site/1105/
www.wsrcc.org
Page 12
Get Approved to teach CE to your own staff with WSRCC!
With WSRCC Help You Can Become a DSHS Approved
Continuing Education Instructor for Your Staff!
Some Providers are unaware of the easy process the WSRCC can assist you with, which will give you the opportunity to provide Continuing Education credits to your staff, for FREE (and teach DSHS approved Orientation and Safety to new staff)!! Our Office Manager, Bryon Dahl [email protected] or 360-754-3329) has
helped many of our members obtain their CE instructor status, and he is available and willing to help many
more.
The application is done on a DSHS TPA Form (Training Program Application for Adult Family Homes), which
Bryon will submit, after gathering some basic information from you over the phone or via email. It does not
take a lot of information or a lot of time to complete, so don’t hesitate to call us to start the process! After
Bryon submits your application, you will then receive notification directly from DSHS, after a period of 6-8
weeks, that you were found to be qualified and are now approved to provide the types of trainings listed.
There are more complicated applications for becoming DSHS training instructors at different levels, which
would allow you to do more comprehensive trainings, but these come with more stringent requirements
about your qualifications. However, the qualifications to be a CE instructor for your own staff are typically
met by the fact that you are a licensed AFH Provider.
So let us clarify, the approval process being described here will allow you to teach Orientation and Safety
for new staff, and Continuing Education classes that have specific pre-approved course materials, including
the Continuing Education credit for Food Safety, which can be found at www.altsa.dshs.wa.gov/
Professional/training/CE/foodsafety.htm
As part of your WSRCC Membership, there are a number of different WSRCC owned CE classes that you
will be given permission to access. These free CE course materials are why it makes sense for you to coordinate with the WSRCC to do your TPA application!
We hope you will take advantage of this benefit of WSRCC Membership, and we will be helping you to become a CE Instructor for your staff very soon.
Susan Zarenski
WSRCC Member Services / Education Specialist
www.wsrcc.org
Page 13
Free Webinar on Increasing Referrals From Hospitals
Join us on October 29th for a free webinar!
Join us on October 29th at
tine in a busy, metro hospital.
11:00 am PDT for an interview with a Hospital Discharge Planner about her daily rou-
Jackie Gordon has been a discharge planner for Adventist Medical Center for 35 years and has a wealth of knowledge to
share. This Q&A-stIyle webinar will explain the discharge planner's role and daily responsibilities in depth.
Using the knowledge shared in this webinar will help companies better navigate
the discharge process and help increase their
own referrals.
You will learn:

Challenges discharge planners face in finding good post-discharge care for
patients.

Requirements for referrals to multiple care options - how fixed these are,
and how to work your way to the top.

Pressures hospital workers face in discharge timing and how care providers
can help.

The best ways, times, and methods for building a relationship with hospital
personnel.
Hope to see you there!
Sharon Brothers, MSW, CEO
Institute for Professional Care Education
8740 SE Sunnybrook Blvd, Suite 300
Clackamas, OR 97015
877-843-8374 | www.ipced.com
Click here to register
www.wsrcc.org
Trainings Available
Page 14
www.wsrcc.org
Page 15
Buy * Sell * Trade
WSRCC Members Marketplace Page
Place an ad on this page in our next issue of the VOICE
Established AFH For Sale in
Ocean Park, WA
Not getting WSRCC’s newsletters in your email inbox?
Please let us know and we will
get you started right away!
Register for email newsletters
and alerts by contacting us at
[email protected] .
To best serve you, please notify us of any changes to your contact information. If you have new telephone number, license
or name changes, emails, additions or closures of homes or
moved from one location to another, please call our office @
360-754-3329 or [email protected].
ADULT FAMILY HOME FOR SALE on the
Long Beach peninsula. One mile from the
Pacific Ocean, close to shopping and hospital.
Large garden area in fenced yard on a
dead end quiet street.
Asking $250,000 for home and business. Will consider $25,000 for business
and lease furnished home for $2,500 a
month. Two year lease.
Your WSRCC Team
Del Miles ~ Board President - [email protected]
(509) 728-1484 John Ficker ~ Executive Director - [email protected] - (360) 754-3329
Maria Chiechi ~ Executive Assistant & Legislative Coordinator [email protected] - (360)-754-3329
Please, only serious potential buyers may
inquire. Call 360) 665-3223 for more information
Buy * Sell * Trade
Susan Zarenski ~ Member Services/Education [email protected]—(360)754-3329
Bryon Dahl ~ Office Manager - [email protected] - (360)-754-3329
Place a classified ad in our
next Marketplace section
Washington State Residential Care Council
523 Pear Street SE, Olympia WA 98501
1-888-439-8999—360-754-3329 - Fax 360-943-6653 www.wsrcc.org
523 Pear Street SE
Olympia, WA 98501
Save the Date for 2015 Fall Conference!
OCTOBER 29 & 30
TULALIP RESORT & CASINO
Message from WSRCC’s Executive
Director John Ficker
Introducing RCS Director Carl Walters II
New Required Disclosure Form
Dear Provider Letters
Legislator Visits to Chapter Meetings
Executive Board Nominations
Caregiver Alerts
Train Your Own Staff
Training Opportunities
AFH for Sale
www.wsrcc.org
Code of Ethics for Adult Family Home Providers
This Code of Ethics for Adult Family Home Providers has been developed as a guide for carrying out provider responsibilities in a manner
consistent with professional values and moral standards which define the essentials of honorable behavior for the Adult Family Home
Provider.
As Adult Family Home Providers we want the public to acknowledge us as professionals. Part of this process is to develop a system of ethical codes of conduct and standards of practice that incorporate our principles and values regarding quality care. We need to have an
open review process that includes substantive critique and modifications to develop our final ethical code. Please participate in this endeavor by reading the following and e-mail your opinions and suggestions to [email protected].
1. An Adult Family Home Provider recognizes and respects the dignity of residents without consideration for race, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, social or economic status.
2. An Adult Family Home Provider, while honoring the residents’ rights to self determination, will promote and protect the rights of all
their residents.
3. An Adult Family Home Provider is responsible and accountable for their individual practice and determining how they deliver optimum
care to their residents.
4. An Adult Family Home Provider acknowledges the responsibility to protect their own integrity, maintain competence in their field, and
continue their personal and professional growth.
Through their Associations and working with fellow members Adult Family Home Providers will promote their profession with continued
education and political action in shaping the WACs and rules that govern their profession.