Page 8-Wednesday, February 15, 1978-The Michigan Daily PLAN WOULD PENALIZE RIGHTS VIOLA TIONS: High cost may jeopardize nursing home bill By ROD WATSON A bill to extend the rights of nursing home patients may not make it to the state Senate floor because of a $750,000 price tag. Substitute Senate Bill (SB) 659, currently before the Senate Ap- propriations Committee, is an attempt to insure proper care for the elderly by penalizing any of the state's 383 nursing homes that violate patients' rights. -THE NEW BILL provides a tough financial penalty system for violations of 15 specific human rights, and more broadly: b extends patients' rights to all patients, rather than only to those covered by federally funded programs; *strengthens requirements for the protectionand accounting of patients' private funds; '.protects patients from arbitrary transfers; * and requires nursing homes and patients to have a written contract THE HIGHLANDS 1land 2 bedroom apartments includes security lock system, drapes, dishwasher, lighted tennis courts, and pool Buses to and from campus daily 1693 Broadway, Apt. 302 769-3d72 Reaume and Doddes Management Co. specifying services and costs; Susan Rourke, executive director of Citizens for Better Care (CBC) in Detroit, as well as coordinator of the statewide Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (CNHR), said the penalty system was one of the key points in the bill, and one that had been haggled over repeatedly. "THERE WAS a minor sort of penalty system invoked 18 months ago, but it didn't include all the rules, and the DPH didn't enforce it very well," Rourke said. "It lumped all the violations under one rule, so that it didn't matter if you violated one of the patient's rights; or all of them. It was still counted as just one violation. Now each one has its own penalty." "The original SB 659 had financial penalties for each provision which was violated," said Rourke. "But the Health and Social Services Committee had the antagonists - the citizens groups, the nursing home industry, and the Depar- tment of Public Health (DPH) - sit down and work out a compromise. So Substitute 659 represents an agreement by all of the groups involved, as well as by the legislature." But because of cost, passage of the bill may take quite a while, even in its compromise form. "WE'RE STILL not in favor of it," said Chuck Harmon, executive vice- president of the Michigan Health Care Association, who is representing the nursing home industry. "Most of the provisions relate to the level of care, and because over 70 per cent of the nur- sing home residents are on welfare, the state is going to have to pay for it/ "We worked last fall with CBC and got a number of changes to improve the bill, so it's better now. But no, we still won't support it in its present form." Fred Traill, chief of licensing and Rourke said the homes are allowed to remain open, without making any changes, while appealing the DPH decision, which in Wayne County takes an average of 37 months. No Washtenaw County homes are on the list. ROURKE SAID A recent CBC study '(Before) it didn't matter if you violated one of the patient 's rights or all of them. It was still counted as just one violation. Now each one has its own penalty.' -Susan Rourke, Citizens for Better Care the use of privacy curtains . . . Many patients are injured due to falls or altercations with other patients with lit- tle or no evidence of measures taken to prevend re-occurrence ... Teeth were crusted with food and mucous film ... Fingertips of one patient were stained, burned and gangrenous." FORD MANOR is still involved in licensing litigation, and remains open, though some residents remain dissatisfied. Allen Jenkins, a 71-year-old resident who has been there for 19 months, came in after having a leg removed. Now he has an infection on his remaining leg., "The same thing happened to my other leg and they told me to watch it," he said last week. "So I told them about this two weeks ago, and the doctor hasn't looked at it yet." RUBY LOGGINS, a 78-year-old resident, said she broke the stem on her glasses three weeks ago, but rather than fixing her regular glasses and returning them, the doctor brought her another pair that she can't see out of - and then charged her for them. "I only get $27 a month, and this mon- th they took $17 of that for these new glasses," she said. "I can't read with them - my eyelashes hit up against the lens - and people don't even look natural with them." She said she still doesn't know what happened to her regular glasses, which she said cost her over $60. SHE ALSO complained that the sink in her room had been turned off because another patient in the three- man room washed her bedpan out in it, despite orders not to. And as she ex- plained the situation, nurses physically subdued the roommate and dragged her, screaming, back into the room. "There ought to be someplace she can go rather than in here where folks want to be treated like folks," Loggins said, as the woman was put to bed. Ford administrators refused to comment on the incident, their licen- sing dispute, or any of the patients' claims. The DPH report on Connor Manor in Detroit cited numerous personnel shor- tages, a lack of clean personal care items for patients, and the fact that three out of four nurses stations failed to have the telephone number of an alternate physician listed - all violations of state standards - as well as several other violations. Connor administrator Joan Hayden said Monday the cited conditions had been corrected, and that Connor Manor expected to win its licensing appeal. She would not elaborate on what steps have been taken, or comment on the proposed reform legislation currently in the Senate. 9 r certification in the Health Department, estimated that the provisions in the new bill would cost between $500,000 and $750,000. Traill said it is not clear yet if the state would have to foot the whole bill, or if there would be matching federal funds provided. "BUT WE'RE in favor of the concept, with some modifications of the technical parts," Traill said. Rourke agreed the new bill would cost the state some money. "But if we're going to do it, it should be done right," she said. CNHR CONCERN stems from the fact that 36 Michigan homes are on the state's "intent-to-deny-license" list for violations of state health care standar- ds, and, according to the Coalition, "basic human rights." DPH reports cite understaffing, mishandling of patients' private funds, and inadequate personal care, as well as a general disregard for the feelings and attitudes of the patients in the homes currently on the list. Three thousand of the state's 39,000 nursing home residents are in those homes. showed the average fee for private patients in Michigan nursing homes is around $1,000 per month, and $750 per month for Medicaid patients. "They're still taking patients, and the patients are still getting substandard care, as defined by the State of Michigan," she said. The new bill would give the DPH other tools to use in dealing with sub- standard homes, rather than the simple "open or close" procedure specified now. "THERE'S A 'receivership' section which says if a home is deficient, the court can appoint a receiver to take over and provide better care," said Ed Allardice, CBC program director. "If it's used, this could be very effective because you're taking the profits away from the owners and using them to make repairs." As an example of the types of violations patients commonly encoun- ter, Allardice pulled the file on the Ford Manor home in Highland Park. The DPH nurse's report on Ford cited "Lack of underclothing, socks and/or shoes.. . Patients being bathed without First tenured black lauded by, colleagues Next year you could be on An Air Force ROTC 2-year scholarship. Which not only pays your tuition, but also gives you $100 a month allowance. And picks up the tab for your books and lab fees, as well. And after college, you'll receive a commission in the Air Force...go on to further, specialized train- ing ...and get started as an Air Force officer. There'll be travel, responsibility, and a lot of other benefits. But it all starts right here... in college.:.in the Air Force ROTC. Things will look up...so look us up. No obligation, of course. CONTACT: Captain Terry Luettinger 764-2405 North Hall put it S her in Air Force R 'C. an # aItt Work With Kids at CAMP TAMARACK Brighton and Ortonville, Michigan. Jobs for counselors, specialists, kitchen staff, nurses, caseworkers and long trip bus drivers. Inerviewing February 21, Summer Placement Office CALL 763-4117 for an appointment. Camp Tamarack is the Jewish residential camp sponsored by the Fresh Air Society, 6600 W. Maple Rd., W. Bloomfield, MI 48033, 661-0600. Please call or write us for anapplication or additional information. By ELISA ISAACSON Retired Assistant Dean of the Univer- sity's School of Education Alvin Loving will be honored by the school with a scholarship in his name. Loving, who retired in 1973, became in 1956 the first black professor at the University to receive tenure. COLLEAGUE MURRAY Jackson described Loving as "compassionate, but uncompromising." Jackson added that Loving was "interested in education as a force or method of helping people to help themselves" and saw education as a "way out of problems and dilemmas." Loving has worked extensively to promote minority interests. In 1969 he helped organize a protest in the School of Education which resulted in the hiring of many new black faculty mem- bers. Loving alsogave leadership to the University faculty during the Black Ac- tion Movement (BAM) strike in 1970. Loving said he feels these movements were a success, but stated that since his retirement, "There's been a complete reversal of attitudes from what I hear. People don't seem to care anymore." LOVING SAID an effective affir- mative action program at the Univer- sity is of utmost importance. "Un- forunately, the University-the [ -_____________________________________________ Alvin Loving MARTY'S ... GOES DUTCH TREAT WITH THEIR THIRD ANNUAL DUTCH UCTIO NOW THRU SATURDAY SUITS FRIDAY'S 9 REGULAR SATURDAY'S SPORT COATS DAY'S THURSDAY'S FRIDAY'S SATURDAY'S TREAT DUTCH TREAT DUTCH TREAT DUTCH TREAT REGULAR WEDNESDAY'S PRICE DUTCH TREAT $135 $155 $165 $190 $250 $275 $109 $139 $149 $169 $229 $255 THURSDAY'S DUTCH TREAT $99 $125 $135 $145 $209 $235 FRIDAY'S DUTCH TREAT $89 $109 $119 $129 $189 $215 SATURDAY'S DUTCH TREAT $79 $89 $99 $119 $175 $195 REGULAR PRICE $85 $90 $110 $125 $165 $200 $75 $79 $99 $109 $149 $179 $65 $69 $89 $99 $139 $159 WEDNES DUTCH 1 $55 $59 $79 $89 $125 $149 $45 $49 $69 $79 $109 $139 professorial group-isdthe most conser- vative I know," he said. Loving recalled his employment at the University as "eighteen delightful years" and that as he looks back he values his "relationship with studen- ts-with all students" most of all. He told the tale of how one of the students in his predominantly white classes told him he was the first black teacher the student had ever had. "I said," related Loving, "you're lucky'I never had one." Jackson called the Alvin D. Loving, Sr. Scholarship a "fitting tribute" to Loving for his large contribution to the University. The fund will not be limited to minority students, but they will definitely be given special con- sideration. The scholarship will be awarded on the basis .of need and academic perfor- mance. Jackson said they will be looking for "students who have demon- strated the kinds of interests and con- cerns that Al Loving has demon- strated." Jackson has sent out a letter on behalf of the Black Faculty of the School of Education soliciting con- tributions for the fund. He hopes to be able to offer the scholarship to students this fall. In a nutshell! a I L I CASUAL SLACKS DRESS SLACKS 1/2 s9q OFF )FF LEVI JEANS .62 Corduroy $9.62 And Other Styles SPORT SHIRTS 2AOFF LEATHER COATS ii LEATHER JACKETS 2 TOP COATS 1/2 SUBURBAN COATS OFF SWEATERS Ski and Cardigans Fancy Wraps Patterned Crews & V-Necks 1 I