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Proposed new adult protective services rules discussed Friday, Sep 15, 2006 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Implementing proposed new adult protective service rules, including hiring additional field workers, will carry a price tag of about $3.1 million annually, legislators heard Thursday. Herb Sanderson, director of the Division of Aging and Adult Services in the state Department of Health and Human Services, noted the cost while discussing a set of recommendations by a legislative task force created in January to develop potential changes to the state's Adult and Long-term Facility Resident Maltreatment Act. The Senate and House Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee met for several hours Thursday, discussing a variety of health issues and concerns across the state. Also during the meeting, the committee was told of a recent blood pressure screening study done on children in Marianna, and lawmakers were updated on the state's efforts to track the number of overweight school children. Among the recommendations made by the task force looking at improving adult protective services was one that calls for hiring an additional 41 field workers to the Division of Aging and Adult Services, which now has 28 field workers to work in the state's 75 counties. Another seeks extensive assessments of elderly patients living at home and increases in the state's authority to remove those patients when a judge is not available. Another would add postal workers, utility company meter readers and other workers, members of volunteer groups such as Meals on Wheels who enter the home or have contact with the elderly patients programs, newspaper carriers and animal control officers to the list of those required to report suspected neglect or abuse. Rep. Jim Medley, R-Fort Smith, said the recommendations were "very extensive, very thorough." The task force was convened at the insistence of Reps. Shirley Borhauer, R-Bella Vista, and Horace Hardwick, R-Bentonville, after Shirley Chittum, 71, died at a Bentonville hospital 17 days after a home visit from the state Department of Human Services in which she made no complaints about her treatment. Chittum's son, Paul A. Chittum, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in her death. Thursday, upon questioning by Rep. Frank Glidewell, R-Fort Smith, Sanderson said it would cost about $3.1 million to implement the recommendations. He said the request would be made when legislative budget hearings begin next month. Sanderson and Connie Parker, assistant director of the division, both urged returning lawmakers to support the recommendations during next year's legislative session. They noted that many committee members, including Borhauer, were term-limited. "This is an important area and, yes, I will help you," said Rep. Sandra Prater, D-Jacksonville. Also during the meeting, Dr. Camille A. Jones with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences discussed a blood pressure study done in May on school children for the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. The study looked at the blood pressure of fourth and eight graders in the Marianna School District. The study found that 11 percent of the fourth graders and 19 percent of eighth graders had elevated blood pressure in the hypertension range, and 3 percent of fourth graders had persistent hypertension requiring further medical attention. Jones said the study raised concerns because most of the students with high blood pressure also were within the high obesity rates. Dr. Joe Thompson, the state's chief health officer, told the committee that recent body mass index tests on school children found that 37.5 percent of the students were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. The most recent testing covered 371,082 of the state's 450,000 public school children. He said the percent of obese children has dropped slightly since the state began collecting and reporting body mass index information of students three years ago. Thompson also discussed innovations the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement has made in streamlining the collecting process. Borhauer, a retired nurse, expressed concern about the blood pressure problems in Marianna and the overall obesity problem among children in the state and suggested the state create a position called "Officer of School Health." Rep. Stephanie Flowers, D-Pine Bluff, said obesity and high blood pressure tend to be higher in the poorer and medically underserved areas of the state. She urged lawmakers and health professionals to step up the process of informing young people and their parents on the importance of proper nutrition and exercise. ----- On the Net: BMI report at www.achi.net |
