WHEREAS, the State adopted Assembly Bill 1040 which establishes the Long-Term Care Integration Pilot Program; and,

WHEREAS, AB 1040 authorizes the State Department of Health Services to select sites for pilot projects in order to implement coordinated service delivery models for long-term care; and,

WHEREAS, the State's goals are to develop pilot projects that:  (1) integrate the financing and administration of long-term care services, (2) improve the availability and effectiveness of long-term care services, and (3) maximize independence for older and disabled adults who use these services; and,

WHEREAS, AB 1040 requires participating counties to consolidate funding for Medi-Cal long-term institutional care, the Medi-Cal Personal Care Services Program, the In-Home Supportive Services Program, and other Medi-Cal programs, in order to effectively pool financial resources; and,

WHEREAS, participating counties must establish a single long-term care services agency which will contract with the State for capitated payments for the provision of long-term care services; and,

WHEREAS, the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors submitted a letter of intent to the State, expressing San Francisco's interest in developing a long-term care integration pilot project; and,

WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors created the Long-Term Care Pilot Project Task Force to develop a comprehensive plan, designated the Department of Public Health as the lead agency, and instructed the Task Force to present its plan to the Health Commission prior to Board of Supervisors review; and,

WHEREAS, the Task Force is comprised of 27 members representing providers, consumers, advocates, social service agencies, labor and public agencies; and,

WHEREAS, the Task Force has completed a draft Long-Term Care Integration Plan for review and comment; and,

WHEREAS, the draft Long-Term Care Integration Plan:  (1) proposes a new service delivery system, (2) defines a continuum of long-term care services, (3) designates the target population for services, (4) outlines strategies for increasing supportive housing, and (5) specifies opportunities for increased consumer participation; and,

WHEREAS, the Task Force has yet to identify a transitional long-term care services agency in accordance with the requirements of AB 1040; and,

WHEREAS, the Task Force will make a final presentation to the Health Commission and the Board of Supervisors once a recommendation for a transitional long-term care services agency is incorporated into the plan; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the Health Commission fully endorses the recommendations to improve long-term care service delivery contained in the draft proposal for a Long-Term Care Integration Pilot Project.

I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Health Commission at its meeting of Tuesday, September 15, 1998.

Sandy Ouye Mori, Executive Secretary to the Health Commission