By Lt. Gov. André Bauer | April 6, 2008

Serving as South Carolina’s primary advocate for seniors is a truly rewarding opportunity and I am pleased with The Palmetto Scoop’s invitation to be today’s Sunday Guest Post contributor.

In the few years that I have had the pleasure of leading the good folks at the Office on Aging, we have made great strides in laying a solid foundation for the coming Age Wave. It is our goal to make sure that our seniors are able to grow old gracefully, living well and doing so in their own homes.

To do this more effectively, we have set goals and made changes to the way the office works for seniors. I want the Office on Aging to be the most efficient and productive unit of state government. We have been cutting the fat out of payroll, rent, antiquated programming and refocused the staff to prepare for the challenges before us.

We have created SCACCESS, an electronic directory of 14,000 services specific to the county level. We have created an incentive program for geriatric physicians that has become a national model, attracting 14 geriatricians to serve our seniors. We have testified to Congress and are now about to launch a campaign to put people who scam our seniors out of business. […]

MORE: http://www.palmettoscoop.com/2008/04/06/office-on-aging-making-great-strides/

adams@aging.sc.gov
News Release
For Immediate Release

or: JohnLegare
(803) 734-9917
jlegare@aging.sc.gov

Lieutenant Governor André Bauer Joins the Duke Energy Foundation to Kick Off the 2008 Blanket Blitz February 1 in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties

(Columbia, S.C. — Jan. 31, 200 Winter places an unwanted burden on South Carolina’s senior citizens. Starting Feb. 1, low-income seniors in the Upstate of South Carolina will have the opportunity to receive a free blanket as part of the Palmetto Tomorrow Foundation’s Blanket Blitz.

The Blanket Blitz is a cooperative effort of Lt. Gov. André Bauer’s Palmetto Tomorrow Foundation and the Duke Energy Foundation. The blankets, which include information on electrical safety, will be distributed to seniors in Duke Energy’s South Carolina service area through partners including the Appalachia Area Agency on Aging, county Councils on Aging, adult day care centers, and other Upstate outreach organizations.

Lieutenant Governor Bauer will join representatives from Duke, local elected officials and other senior advocates in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties on Friday to hand out the first of 2,400 blankets at the Archibald Rutledge Center in Spartanburg at 10 a.m. A second stop is planned at 11:30 a.m. at Senior Centers of Cherokee County in Gaffney and the Bethel Senior Day Care Center in Gaffney at 12:30 p.m.

The Blanket Blitz returns to the Upstate on Feb. 8, with stops planned in Greenville, Anderson, Laurens, Oconee and Pickens counties.

The blanket distribution will continue across the Upstate with the help of the new mobile Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) that began servicing Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and Spartanburg counties in January. The mobile ADRC offers a one-stop, no-wrong-answer place where seniors and people with disabilities can gather necessary paperwork and make appointments for numerous social programs in one location. The mobile ADRC will travel the Upstate bringing services to communities that would otherwise have none, making it easier for those without transportation to receive the help that they need.

Individuals in need of a blanket may call the Appalachia Area Agency on Aging at 864-242-9733 or toll-free at 800-434-4036 outside of the Greenville area.

Media Advisory

All media are invited to distribution sites Friday, February 1^st 2008 at Senior Centers of Spartanburg County, Senior Centers of Cherokee County and the Bethel Senior Day Care Center in Gaffney The Lieutenant Governor will be available for comment at the various sites.

What: Blanket distribution and interview opportunity with Lt. Governor Bauer

When & Where:

10:00 a.m. Archibald Rutledge Center

764 North Church Street

Spartanburg, SC 29303

11:30 a.m. Senior Centers of Cherokee County

499 W. Rutledge Avenue

Gaffney, SC 29341

12:30 p.m. Bethel Senior Day Care Center

332 West Meadow Street

Gaffney, SC 29342

-END-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, January 17, 2008

Media Contact:
Alice Stewart
501-324-2008 Office

NEWS RELEASE

South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Endorses Mike Huckabee for President

Andre Bauer says Huckabee is Best to Lead America

Columbia, SC — South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer endorsed Mike Huckabee for President, it was announced today. Bauer will join Huckabee as well as Former Governor David Beasley, State Chairman Mike Campbell , Chuck Norris, and Ric Flair on the campaign trail on Thursday.

Bauer stated, “I, like many voters, have been previously undecided, but this election is too important to sit on the sidelines.  This week, I have decided to vote for Mike Huckabee, and I urge all South Carolinians to join me in voting for Mike Huckabee this Saturday. Simply put, I believe Mike Huckabee is the best of several fine candidates to lead America .  As America faces tough times, Mike Huckabee has the character, integrity, and proven leadership to ensure our greatest days are yet to come.”

“Also, I’ve tried to carefully compare each candidate’s position as it relates to issues affecting senior citizens, and I’ve concluded that Mike Huckabee is a sound choice for senior citizens,”  Bauer said.  As Lt. Governor, Bauer heads the state’s office on aging.

Bauer also said he admires Huckabee’s ability to win against the odds, noting that he, too, has a history of winning races considered to be upsets.

“Nobody knows better than I do that it’s the people, not the polls, which determines the winner on election day,” Bauer said.  “I believe the fact that Mike Huckabee has stayed positive while others have waged negative campaigns against him, will sway undecided voters toward him.  I believe it speaks to his character.”

Huckabee stated, “I welcome Andre’s support and am glad to have him on board Team Huckabee. I’m really pleased to have the support of a leader with such a solid record of achievement and a reputation for hard work and being a servant of the people, who shares my commitment to conservative governance.”

Bauer, who is serving his second term as South Carolina’s Lieutenant Governor, has joined Mike Huckabee’s leadership team in South Carolina, which already includes Former Governor David Beasley, United States Congressman Bob Inglis, State Chairman Mike Campbell and the family of Former Governor Carroll A. Campbell Jr., and numerous state legislators including Greenville State Senator David Thomas, Rex Rice, and Liston Barfield of Conway.

####

News Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: GerryDickinson  (803) 734-9867

or JohnLegare  (803) 734-9917

jlegare@aging.sc.gov

Candidate Who Motivates Seniors Will Win S.C. Primary — André Bauer

(Columbia, S.C.) With 80 percent of the senior vote undecided, Lieutenant Governor Andre’ Bauer says next week’s South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary is far from settled.

“The candidate that motivates the senior community will win,” says Bauer.

He notes that candidates seeking support in the upcoming South Carolina presidential primaries are ignoring the issues of senior voters who historically account for one third of likely voters.

The latest AARP-SC poll shows that most seniors have not made up their minds about next week’s January 19 Republican presidential primary, which is expected to draw more than 500,000 voters.

Lieutenant Governor Bauer says the 80 percent undecided rate translates into almost 360,000 of the state’s almost 450,000 voters 65 and older. Historically, this group makes up about one-third of primary voters.

The State Election Commission reports that people 65 and older account for 20 percent of registered voters, but they represented 33.9 percent of Republican votes in the 2006 statewide primary. “In simple terms, seniors get out and vote,” says Bauer.

Securing the vote of South Carolina’s seniors could turn the tide for candidates in both presidential primaries. According to Bauer, the first candidate to step forward with leadership on senior issues like transportation, Alzheimer’s, and caregivers could gain an advantage in the pivotal South Carolina primaries.

“Right now undecided senior voters are waiting for a candidate to make a play for them. It’s more than just politics to them, they want to see leadership on the issues that impact their lives,” Bauer said.

Governor Mike Huckabee, the current front runner in recent polls, could secure a definitive victory with the senior vote, but as with the others in the race he has yet to take definitive positions. “Stepping up on these issues could also mean a breakout and a breakaway for Mayor Giuliani, Senator Thompson, Senator McCain, and Governor Romney,” Bauer said.

Bauer, the country’s youngest lieutenant governor and head of South Carolina’s Office on Aging, gave a major address to the South Carolina Silver Haired Legislature in September, where he first challenged the presidential candidates to address senior issues.

The speech can be viewed at http://www.state.sc.us/ltgov/aging/docs/SouthCarolinaSilverHairedLegislaturePress.pdf.

-END-

To: The South Carolina Senior Community

From: Curtis M. Loftis, Jr.

NOTE: Lt. Governor André Bauer is committed to transparent and accountable government, not only within this office, but across South Carolina. He is also committed to targeted, well-managed privatization of certain governmental functions. Privatization that is not prudent, transparent, and accountable to the people of South Carolina is unwise, as examples of such activity in Texas, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and other states have shown us. Simply turning the fate of our ill, frail, elderly and disabled over to private enterprise without proper government oversight cannot stand.

Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging report on the Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee

I am distressed to report that the Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee has, in my opinion, been made ineffectual by the actions of the Department of Health and Human Services. The appalling lack of transparency by HHS has rendered impossible the committee’s efforts to follow the mandate given by state law.

What began as our attempt to advocate for seniors and adults with disabilities by understanding the new brokerage system and assisting in its implementation has disintegrated into a “turf battle” where the committee’s right to public information has been thwarted at every opportunity by HHS.

The committee has met only once, and at that meeting no meaningful information pertaining to our mission was made accessible by HHS staff. Not one complaint was presented for review, and information requested by various committee members was not distributed during the meeting. Members of the committee asked that specific information be forwarded after the session, and the self appointed “leader” of the committee Ms. Felicity Myers of HHS, assured us that the information would be forthcoming within one week. What is most distressing is that much of the information should have been readily available and could have been emailed to the committee within minutes, or hours, certainly within a week, of our request. Nearly a month has gone by and only one piece of information has been received.

I bring this troubling information to you, our partners, as I know that many of you have come to trust the Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging in these matters. I have been prompt in pointing out our successes and therefore I think it only honorable for the LGOA to advise you of this challenge.

Below you will find the unsigned committee report, authored by HHS, on which no vote was taken nor was it ever authorized in a public meeting. Included in this HHS document are minutes that are neither “true” to the discussion nor inclusive of questions of the committee. The HHS document does “parrot” the self-serving statements of the brokerage companies themselves. I believe that HHS violated the Freedom of Information act by writing a report in private without notifying the public, and submitting it on our behalf. Nevertheless, the sole saving grace to this distressful event is that several dissenting opinions were placed at the document’s end.

An accurate report to the General Assembly would be that, absent information being provided by HHS as requested, the committee is unable to issue a report that reflects its legislative charge to review issues and complaints concerning the Medicaid Transportation Brokerage System and make recommendations for the resolution of these issues and complaints. This legislative mandate of an external review of this Cabinet agency’s handling of this issue was vetoed by the governor and over-ridden by the Legislature. The issue is also currently under review by the Legislative Audit Council.

Following is the HHS report:

Report of the Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee

First Quarter, SFY 2007-2008

Joint Resolution H. 4178 required the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to establish a Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee composed of Medicaid service providers, local transportation providers, and Medicaid recipients, who require non-emergency transportation services. The advisory committee was required to have representatives from the South Carolina Emergency Medical Services Association, South Carolina Hospital Association, South Carolina Health Care Association, South Carolina Nursing Home Association, South Carolina Medical Association, Rural Transportation Association, Office on Aging in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, Department of Health and Environmental Control, Public Service Commission, two Medicaid recipients or two family members of Medicaid recipients, and a member of the brokering company operating the Medicaid transportation system. Per resolution, the advisory committee is to do the following:

1. Meet at least quarterly to review issues and complaints concerning the Medicaid Transportation Brokerage System

2. Make recommendations for the resolution of these issues and complaints

3. Issue a report quarterly to the Governor, Senate, and House of Representatives.

The following report includes information and discussion topics relevant to the committee’s mission and scope as expressed in Joint Resolution H.4178. In preparing this report, three committee members offered dissenting comments, and their remarks are included at the conclusion of this document.

Meeting Date - Tuesday August 28, 2007 at the DHHS Conference Room. Committee members in attendance included:

Coretta Bedsole, South Carolina Adult Day Services Association

Elizabeth Burt, South Carolina Hospital Association

Chuck DaZearn, LogistiCare

Dr. Keith Guest, MD, South Carolina Medical Association

Scott Jones, South Carolina Nursing Home Association

Greg Kitchens, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

Randy Lee, South Carolina Health Care Association

Scott Lesiak, South Carolina EMS Association

Curtis Loftis, Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging

Elaina Macia, Medical Transportation Management, Inc. (MTM)

Barbara Manley, Medicaid Recipient

Lewis Stephens, Medicaid Recipient

Lynn Stockman, Transportation Association of South Carolina

Jonathan Teeter, Office of Regulatory Staff

SCDHHS Staff facilitating the advisory committee meeting:

Felicity Costin-Myers, Chief - Bureau of Rehabilitative and Medical Support Services

Deirdra Singleton, SCDHHS General Counsel

Members of the committee raised the following discussion topics during open forum:

• Is the broker system saving money?

• Is the level of care given to recipients consistent, regardless of provider?

• Are the brokers fulfilling the terms of the contract?

• Are nursing homes still experiencing delays in pick-ups and returns from appointments?

• “Stretcher van” terminology / appropriate use. There is currently no “stretcher van” designation. DHEC is in the process of clarifying this terminology and issues related to “stretcher van” transportation

• Who is to provide for a patient escort and the subsequent reimbursement?

• Clarification on the appropriate use of non-emergency ambulance services

• Need for improved communication of special needs during scheduling (wheelchair, car seat, etc.)

Representatives from each of the transportation brokers provided the following information:

MTM:

• MTM staffs phone lines 24/7

• MTM added a support network to handle same day, next day, out-of-region, and urgent trips. An ambulance company in the local area was awarded this contract.

• MTM set up a discharge line for hospitals (customer service agents can get the nurses off the phone quickly and they use e-mail and faxes to expedite the trips)

LogistiCare:

• LogistiCare staffs phone lines 24/7

• LogistiCare has “facility representatives” dedicated to help providers

• Logisticare has a registered nurse available for consultations

• Logisticare set up preferred providers for facilities upon request

DHHS Staff guided a discussion to develop potential agenda items for future meetings. The intent is to fully inform members and methodically discuss information relevant to the resolution. Committee members responded with these items:

• Discuss a detail summary (report card) of complaints which includes:

o Complaints broken down by provider type and by region

o Number of trips by type of transportation

• Review the written description of the brokers’ complaint processes

• Review the description of the level of care determination process utilized by the brokers

• DHEC update on “stretcher vans”

• Review the 216 process by which ambulance trips outside the scope of the non-emergency transportation contracts are deemed necessary.

DHHS staff informed members a “report card” draft of broker data would be sent to the members prior to the next meeting. The report card will contain data from May – July. It will be considered a draft until the committee gives feedback and accepts the format. Members were thanked for their participation.

Proposed dates for future meetings

November 27, 2007

February 26, 2008

May 27, 2008 (tentative)

Dissenting Comments (3)

———————

from Curtis Loftis:

Please accept my unequivocal dissent from the proposed “Quarterly Report.” I contend that the committee meeting was not in compliance with the spirit or the letter of the law, and that any report pursuant from that meeting is of little or no value. Despite my constant and vigorous protest, information is not forthcoming in a timely or forthright manner. There is no effort at transparency; in fact I continue to find that obfuscation is the standard practice of HHS.

Unfortunately, I have participated in the “checks in the mail” game before. And frankly, I refuse to wait by the mailbox day after day, week after week, for information that should have been forthcoming long ago. Please enter this email, and the letter below, into the record, and into any reports disseminated by this committee.

Curt Loftis, Jr.

Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging

(referenced letter)

Dear Director Forkner,

After careful review of the enabling legislation for the Medicaid Transportation Advisory Committee and after thorough consideration of the events of the last half year, it has become clear to me that the issues surrounding the Medicaid Transportation and Brokerage System are being obfuscated. The question is why and for what purpose. The legislation states clearly that the Committee is to “review issues and complaints”, “make recommendations for resolution of these issues”, and to issue a quarterly report to the Governor, Senate and House of Representatives”. Madam Director, these assigned tasks cannot be fulfilled if Health and Human Services is not forthcoming with information in a transparent and obliging matter. You personally promised me in our meeting on August 14th that requests for information would be accommodated. Ms. Felicity Meyers of your agency publicly promised me on August 28th that the information requested by committee members would be received within one week, and now over two weeks has passed and not one shred of information has been disseminated to the committee. Furthermore, I am dismayed that I now can learn more about the Medicaid Transportation System and HHS’s position on these issues by reading your comments in the Greenville newspaper than I can by attending to my official duties as a member of the Advisory Committee. I request that the Department of Health and Human Services be forthcoming with pertinent information concerning these issues and that committee members and others not be forced to plead for information and that we not be burdened with unreasonable waits or restrictions simply to obtain information that is legally, and morally due to us. The poor, elderly, ill and frail depend on this transportation system, and this information rightly belongs in the public domain as their care and well being is entrusted to us. As you know, I believe that HHS is not properly enforcing its contracts with the transportation brokerage companies. The lack of information from HHS only reaffirms my conclusion. Perhaps the information requested will allow me to alter my understanding of the system.

Sincerely,

Curtis M. Loftis, Jr.

—————–

from Randy Lee:

This report does not reflect the questions asked by the members nor does it address the information that we requested. Having these meetings quarterly and not providing members with the information requested leads me to the conclusion that the agency has no interest in presenting the truth to the committee or the General Assembly. Why did the committee not get the opportunity to elect a chairman and why is our meeting schedule and agenda controlled by the agency? This issue is critical now and not two months from now. I will, if necessary, file my own report with the Governor and the General Assembly. I am very disappointed in HHS and will not stand back and let this issue be swept under the rug. If you file this report please note that my organization does not agree with it.

Randy Lee

South Carolina Health Care Association

———————

from Dr. Keith Guest:

I will not be able to support the report you provided as submitted. I have not received any of the information I requested at the last meeting and the information provided in the form of a “Broker Report Card” is wholly inadequate for the committee to be able to meet its mandate. I am requesting that we meet again soon to resolve these and other issues surrounding the general structure of the committee. No report should be submitted at this time.

Keith A. Guest, MD

South Carolina Medical Association

———————

Frank Adams

Deputy Director, Public Information

Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging

1301Gervais Street, Suite 200

Columbia, SC 29201

(803) 622-5412 cell

(803) 734-9912 office

(803) 734-9886 fax

adams@aging.sc.gov

With temperatures of 95-100 degrees and above predicted for much of South Carolina over the next week, it is extremely important to remind citizens - particularly those in high-risk categories such as the elderly - of the need to take precautions in dealing with extreme heat events. It’s also a good time to remind South Carolinians to please be watchful and considerate of their neighbors or other folks they see who may be elderly and vulnerable to heat-related illness.

Many news organizations have a need for heat-related information specifically geared towards seniors. The Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging would like to encourage newspapers and other news outlets to consider publishing or broadcasting such information over the coming days, and we are happy to assist you with locating and sourcing such information.

The Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging web site has a permanent page dedicated to “Hot Weather Tips for Older Adults.” The information on this page was provided by the American Red Cross. The direct URL for this page is as follows:

http://www.aging.sc.gov/AgingNewsService/ANSCurrent.htm#August6Content

The South Carolina Aging News Service also recently published an article with additional links to government agencies that have heat related information specifically for senior populations. That article is available at the following URL:

http://www.aging.sc.gov/AgingNewsService/ANSCurrent.htm#August6Content

Additional resources related to extreme heat events can be found in this July 17, 2006 article from the Aging News Service archives:

http://www.aging.sc.gov/AgingNewsService/ANS%20Archives/ANSJuly2006.htm#July17Content2

We hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact:

Frank Adams or David Lucas

Office of Public Information

SC Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging

(803) 734-9900

The Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging is the statewide leader for advocating, planning and developing resources in partnership with individuals and communities to meet the present and future needs of older South Carolinians and their caregivers; developing and coordinating a comprehensive continuum of care system; and promoting education, research and training in the field of gerontology. We would be happy to assist you with research, sourcing, or information on any future news stories regarding aging-related issues.