Krystal Wilkinson, HCAOA Arizona Chapter Chair and President of Adultcare Assistance (second from right), and Stephanie Roberts, Policy Leader with Team Services Group (left), recently met with two Arizona state representatives, Rep. Patty Contreras (D-12) and Rep. Judy Schwiebert (D-2), to discuss home-based care issues, including Medicaid reimbursement rates and how to ensure safety in home care in Arizona.

​Last Wednesday, nearly 60 Arizona Chapter members from around the state met to discuss a variety of business opportunities and challenges facing home care in the state. It was an excellent event with positive feedback shared by many attendees. Many thanks to HCAOA Board member and Chapter Vice Chair Sara Wilson for sharing the photos below!

The HCAOA Board of Directors met in Arizona last week to review the association’s strategic plans and discuss advocacy priorities for the home care industry at the national level in Washington, DC, and in the more than 15 state where HCAOA has active state chapters.

The Board meets four times each year in person at various locations across the country, including the HCAOA Annual Conference, as well as several virtual meetings. Any members interested in becoming involved should contact membership@hcaoa.org.

Register for the May 11 meeting of the Arizona State Chapter Meeting to hear the latest federal legislative and advocacy priorities from HCAOA’s own CEO Vicki Hoak and VP, Government Relations Eric Reinarman. Other topics include patient advocacy, tax credits and how to balance private pay and Medicaid.
 
The meeting will be held 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on May 11 at the Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel.
 
The full agenda:
 

• The Role of Home Care in Patient Advocacy - Melissa Cardine, MSN, RN, BCPA, Patient Advocate, The Bridge RN Patient Advocates
• Labor Law Hot Topics - Josh Vaughn, Sarah Watt, and Andrea Lavelle, Littler 
• State Legislative & Advocacy Update - Bob Roth, HCAOA Board Member
• Leveraging the Employee Retention Tax Credit - Missy Waites, Director, alliantgroup
• Finding the Right Private Pay & Medicaid Mix - Andrea Cohen, House Works

 
Lunch will be provided and attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and vendors. The registration fee is $40 for HCAOA members and $80 for non-members. Register here.

 The HCAOA Arizona Chapter will meet in-person from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on May 11 at the Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel. HCAOA CEO Vicki Hoak, CEO and VP, Government Relations Eric Reinarman, Esq., will be at the meeting in Phoenix to provide the inside scoop on all federal legislative and advocacy priorities, as well as what other states are doing that could be adapted in Arizona.
 
Other speakers include:

• The Role of Home Care in Patient Advocacy - Melissa Cardine, MSN, RN, BCPA, Patient Advocate, The Bridge RN Patient Advocates
• Labor Law Hot Topics - Josh Vaughn, Sarah Watt, and Andrea Lavelle, Littler 
• State Legislative & Advocacy Update - Bob Roth, HCAOA Board Member
• Leveraging the Employee Retention Tax Credit - Missy Waites, Director, alliantgroup
• Finding the Right Private Pay & Medicaid Mix - Andrea Cohen, House Works

Lunch will be provided, and attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and vendors. The registration fee is $40 for HCAOA members and $80 for non-members. Register here.

HCAOA is holding an Arizona Chapter meeting at the Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel on May 11 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. The full agenda includes federal and state legislative and advocacy updates about issues that impact home care with six speakers, including HCAOA’s new VP of Government Relations, Eric Reinarman.
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• The Role of Home Care in Patient Advocacy - Melissa Cardine, MSN, RN, BCPA, Patient Advocate, The Bridge RN Patient Advocates
• Labor Law Hot Topics - Josh Vaughn, Sarah Watt, and Andrea Lavelle, Littler 
• State Legislative & Advocacy Update - Bob Roth, HCAOA Board Member
• Home Care Advocacy: DC & Across the States - Vicki Hoak, HCAOA CEO and Eric Reinarman, Esq., VP, Government Relations
• Leveraging the Employee Retention Tax Credit - Missy Waites, Director, alliantgroup
• Finding the Right Private Pay & Medicaid Mix - Andrea Cohen, House Works

 
Lunch will be provided, and attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and vendors. The registration fee is $40 for HCAOA members and $80 for non-members. Register here.

 HCAOA is bringing back the Arizona Chapter—bigger and better than ever. Do not miss the meeting on May 11 at the Westin Phoenix Downtown Hotel—the first of its kind—with a full agenda, including federal and state legislative and advocacy updates about issues that impact home care, the latest news about labor laws impacting home care workers, and a presentation about the important role home care plays in patient advocacy. 
 
Topics and speakers include:

• The Role of Home Care in Patient Advocacy - Melissa Cardine, MSN, RN, BCPA, Patient Advocate, The Bridge RN Patient Advocates
• Labor Law Hot Topics - Josh Vaughn, Sarah Watt, and Andrea Lavelle, Littler 
• State Legislative & Advocacy Update - Bob Roth, HCAOA Board Member
• Home Care Advocacy: DC & Across the States - Vicki Hoak, HCAOA CEO and Eric Reinarman, Esq., VP, Government Relations
• Leveraging the Employee Retention Tax Credit - Missy Waites, Director, alliantgroup
• Finding the Right Private Pay & Medicaid Mix - Andrea Cohen, House Works

 
The meeting is from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Lunch will be provided, and attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and vendors. The registration fee is $40 for HCAOA members and $80 for non-members. Register here.

HCAOA’s state chapters have hit the ground running in 2022! We’ve just added a new round of chapter meetings to our events calendar, so now is the time to jump in.

​Two Littler labor law attorneys based in Phoenix are confirmed to present at the HCAOA Arizona Chapter Meeting on Wednesday, November 17 from 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. MT. Josh Waltman and Sarah Watt will discuss legal issues and questions surrounding the COVID vaccine mandate and answer providers’ your questions in real time.

​Home care agencies have many questions about COVID-19 vaccine mandates, testing requirements, and what this means for them as employers. The HCAOA Arizona Chapter will host an expert labor law attorney for an important Chapter meeting on Wednesday, November 17 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. in Phoenix to discuss legal issues and questions surrounding the COVID vaccine mandate and answer all members’ questions in real time. 

It’s been a long quarantine, and HCAOA is anxious to meet with members again IN PERSON. Several State Chapters are planning in-person meetings in the coming weeks. The Chapters are eager to see members and prospective members face-to-face to discuss the important advocacy work they have been doing throughout the year, as well as other home care industry and membership updates. If you live in Florida, Arizona, Georgia, or Connecticut, register now to attend your chapter event. ​

The letter offers several other suggestions to enhance, expand, or strengthen Medicaid HCBS, including hazard pay, overtime pay, and shift differential pay for home care workers, new or additional Medicaid HCBS services especially during the pandemic, and support for family caregivers. To date, the Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona, South Carolina and Connecticut Chapters have sent letters, with others to follow.
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You can read one of the full letters here.​