E-Newsletter: Back to School and Improved Care

Statement

Dear Friend,

Back to School

The children are back to school. Eve, one of my granddaughters, started at Lake View High School in Chicago as a freshman on Tuesday. First days are always exciting and a bit scary, but all of my grandkids got off to a good start. I wish the same for all our children. The start of school also means the start once again of free and reduced-cost lunches, sometimes the only nutritious food of the day for many students. I worked with the Chicago Food depository and the Summer Meals Illinois to connect as many kids to food programs as possible during the summer months, but still 89 percent of those eligible were not enrolled. Parents: be sure your students who need them, get the reduced-fare CTA passes and check out the lunch and maybe breakfast that's available at school.

In the House of Representatives, I'm supporting the Middle Class Jumpstart agenda that includes improving and expanding early childhood education and making college more affordable. The Strong Start for America's Children Act would make quality child care available for more working parents. The Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act would help Americans refinance their college loans at new, lower rates, and increase Pell Grants for higher education. There is nothing better for our economy and our families than robust investment in education.

Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities

I was invited to be a caregiver for a homebound woman as part of a national "Come Care With Me" day, sponsored by Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute (PHI), to highlight the work of direct care workers and the need for government investment in quality home care programs and the training of workers. Along with the caregiver, I swept the floor, folded laundry, washed dishes, and, best of all, spent time chatting with a wonderful woman who appreciated the help and loved the companionship of her caregiver.

I also had the pleasure of delivering Meals on Wheels out of the Arlington Heights Senior Center. There again I had a chance to talk with the seniors in their homes, who relied on the hot and cold meals brought right to their doors. I saw first hand what a huge difference this program makes in the lives of the recipients. I saw the compassion of the staff and community volunteers that make the rounds every day.

We need to expand home and community based long-term care services. 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every single day!

Still, some people will need nursing home care, and much can be done to improve the quality of nursing homes. I authored a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires accurate reporting of the levels of staffing based on actual payroll data. So far this provision has not been adequately enforced, so I wrote a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking them to meet the letter of the law. Staffing levels are a sure indicator of the quality of care, and families deserve to know.

Did you know that current law does not require a nursing home -- regardless of its size -- to have a Registered Nurse (let along a physician) on duty for more than 8 hours a day? I was shocked to learn that. That's why I introduced H.R. 5373, the Put a Registered Nurse in the Nursing Home Act, which would require nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities to have at least one direct-care Registered Nurse (RN) on duty 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. To me this should be an obvious requirement.

I will keep fighting for our students, seniors and people with disabilites. Thank you for reading!

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