House Committee on Health and Human Services (04/08/2010)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Date:	04/08/2010	ATTENDANCE

Time:	01:31 PM to 02:55 PM	Acree	X
		Apuan	X
Place:	LSB A	Gerou	X
		Kefalas	E
This Meeting was called to order by		Kerr J.	X
	Representative Riesberg	Primavera	X
		Roberts	X
This Report was prepared by		Swalm	X
	Kelly Stapleton	Tyler	E
		Gagliardi	X
		Riesberg	*
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
Briefing from the Autism Commission Colorado Dental Association Presentation from the Caregiver Abuse Task Force		- - -

01:32 PM -- Briefing from the Autism Commission

Betty Lehman, Executive Director, Colorado Autism Society and Chair of the Autism Commission, introduced herself to the committee. She stated that Senate Bill 08-163 established the Autism Commission to review and establish a long-term plan for providing services and funding to individuals with autism. The executive summary from the Colorado Autism Commission and the appendix were provided to the committee (Attachments A and B). Ms. Lehman introduced several members of the commission to the committee.

01:38 PM

The Report of the Colorado Autism Commission for Senate Bill 08-163 was distributed to the committee (Attachment C). Ms. Lehman described the structure of the report to the committee. She stated that the commission was charged with establishing a definition of autism, identifying existing services available to individuals with autism, and identifying gaps in services for people with autism. She stated the commission reviewed services provided in other states and identified best practices from those states. She stated that the commission took several hours of testimony and contributed over 6,000 hours of work.

01:44 PM

She spoke to the waiting list for services for people with autism. She commented on the number of people with autism who are unemployed. She stated that the commission reviewed issues affecting the efficient delivery and coordination of services for people with autism spectrum disorder. Ms. Lehman discussed the complexity of accessing various systems in order to receive treatment. Ms. Lehman commented on the vulnerability of individuals with autism. She relayed a personal story about her son and his activities in the community. She stated that while he is active in the community, he is not safe and could easily be taken advantage of.

01:50 PM

Ms. Lehman highlighted the recommendations from the commission. She stated that the commission believes all Coloradans affected by the disorder deserve to have access to the services and supports they need to be safe, educated, healthy, and productive individuals. She stated that the commission developed a ten-year strategic plan to promote, integrate, coordinate, and expand services to all Coloradans affected by autism spectrum disorders. She thanked the committee for their time and continued effort to address the issue.

01:59 PM -- Colorado Dental Association

Jim Young, Executive Director, Colorado Dental Association, introduced himself to the committee. He provided a handout concerning discounted dental care to the committee (Attachment D). He stated there is no state funding for dental services for individuals other than for those who qualify for the Children's Basic Health Plan or in emergency situations under Medicaid. He spoke to the low reimbursement rates that dental providers receive. He stated that many dental providers voluntarily provide dental services without compensation to low-income individuals. He highlighted the Colorado Mission of Mercy (COMOM) dental event, but stated that event cannot meet the need for services across the state.

02:08 PM

Major Tappan, Total Oral Prevention Strategies (TOPS), introduced himself to the committee. Mr. Tappan stated that he runs a dental clinic in the inner city of Denver. He spoke to access to care and stated that tooth decay is one of the most prevalent problems among the children he sees. He stated that his clinic has seen over 800 people in the last two years. He spoke to the few resources available for dental services.

02:16 PM -- Ernie Duff, Howard Dental Center, introduced himself to the committee. Mr. Duff described Howard Dental Center which provides services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. He stated that last year, Howard Dental Center provided services to 620 individuals. He stated that they have served approximately 3,000 people over the years.

02:25 PM -- Dr. John McFarland, Salud Health Center, introduced himself to the committee. He stated that Salud Health Center is a federally qualified health center. He stated that the center sees about 18,000 patients a year. Mr. McFarland provided statistics to the committee regarding the number of individuals seen by various community health centers. He stated that 121,323 individuals were seen in 2007 by the safety net institutions and of those, approximately 70,000 were seen by federally qualified health centers.

02:35 PM -- Presentation from the Caregiver Abuse Task Force

Darla Stuart introduced herself to the committee and referenced House Bill 09-1178, which established the Caregiver Abuse Task Force. Sandy Toscano stated that her sister who is disabled was abused by a caregiver. She relayed her personal story to the committee. She expressed her frustration by the fact that there was not much she could do about the abuse.

02:39 PM

Lynette Johnson, member of the Caregiver Abuse Task Force, described the activities of the task force. Two handouts were provided to the committee (Attachments E and F). She stated that the task force has looked at other states' best practices with regard to addressing the issue of caregiver abuse. Ms. Stuart highlighted one of the handouts that shows the various bodies that have investigatory authority for caregiver abuse. She spoke to Massachusetts' model which requires individuals who work with vulnerable populations to register with the state. She stated that Massachusetts maintains a database containing the names of individuals who are suspected of caregiver abuse. Ms. Stuart described some of the funding mechanisms the task force has considered in order to establish and maintain a similar registry. She stated that the task force will provide its final report to the Department of Human Services and to the committee in June.

02:53 PM

The committee adjourned.