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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | ||||
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| REMARKS BY: | TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES |
| PLACE: | The IONA Senior Services Center, Washington, D.C. |
| DATE: | May 21, 2002 |
Thank you, Tom Scully, for being with us. Tom does an excellent job at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and is working hard for seniors around the nation.
And thank you to our friends here at IONA for hosting all of us here today.
IONA Senior Services has set a high standard for quality services for older Americans and their caregivers in this part of our nation's capital. IONA is doing so much for the quality care of seniors right here in this wonderful city.
To all the volunteers with us, let me say, on behalf of President Bush and on my own behalf, a very sincere thank you. You are members of what the President calls "the armies of compassion," and we honor you for your outstanding service you provide, day in and day out.
It is with great pleasure that I have come to announce a new initiative to tap the expertise of the Administration on Aging's (AOA) volunteer ombudsmen to help consumers use new, comparative quality information about nursing homes so they can decide which facility is best for them.
This new initiative is a partnership between the Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Together, the AOA and CMS will work with ombudsmen to help consumers take advantage of new quality measures for nursing homes that have been developed by my department's Nursing Home Quality Initiative.
The ombudsman program is one of the most successful volunteer efforts in America. Thirty years after its establishment as a demonstration project in 1972, the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program exists today in all states under the Older Americans Act, which is administered by the AOA.
Local ombudsmen work on behalf of residents of long-term care facilities in hundreds of communities, and in 2000 provided information to 245,000 people and responded to more than 230,000 complaints from the public.
This means that ordinary men and women, and those who love them, have recourse when they feel that something is amiss or inadequate in the nature of the care they are receiving.
Ombudsmen volunteers are credited with improving the quality of life for millions of older Americans, and in many cases, even saving lives. These volunteers provide a voice for those unable to speak for themselves. Each and every day these inspirational volunteers answer the call to service that is the centerpiece of President Bush's domestic agenda through the USA Freedom Corps.
Under this new partnership between the AOA and CMS, ombudsmen will work with CMS's Quality Improvement Organizations to respond more effectively to consumer inquiries and educate consumers about the new quality measures.
The ombudsmen will also share information about the Organizations about quality issues in nursing homes where improvements are needed.
As a result, the AOA and CMS will be able to work together more effectively to address the concerns of nursing home residents and their families by drawing on the expertise and experience of the men and women who actually see, firsthand, what's taking place … America's volunteer ombudsmen.
We truly can learn from the self-sacrifice and generosity of the ombudsmen. They are part of an elite cadre of Americans of all ages who are answering the call of service by giving of themselves for the good of others.
The certificates we are presenting today are representative of those being given across to the country to the many men and women who have devoted not only countless hours and great energy but also deep compassion, deep concern and deep commitment to helping some of our most vulnerable citizens.
We must encourage others to follow their example, to give back to our great nation. It was Thomas Jefferson who reminded us that, and I quote, "A debt of service is due from every man to his country." By working together, and giving of ourselves, we can help our country meet its many challenges.
Thank you again so very much, and may God bless you all.