CHAPTER 193 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 1606 A Concurrent Resolution requesting the Governor of the state of Kansas to identify
funds available for training and retraining of long-term care staff.       WHEREAS,  The Task Force on Long-Term Care Services has found
it is a goal of state and federal laws governing nurse aide programs to
improve the quality of care provided in adult care homes by ensuring that
each certified nurse aide has the training, practical knowledge and skills
to care for such residents; and

      WHEREAS,  Nurses, medication aides and administrators of long-
term adult care homes are required to complete continuing education
requirements to continue practicing in their licensed or certified career;
and

      WHEREAS,  Certified nurse aides are the heart of this care delivery
system representing the link between the resident, the professional nurse
and physician; and

      WHEREAS,  Certified nurse aide jobs are becoming more difficult and
stressful as more residents suffer from dementia and are more acutely ill
while the budgets of most long-term adult care facilities are tightening;
and

      WHEREAS,  The high stress of the certified nurse aide's job has re-
sulted in a high turnover rate and a shortage of such employees; and

      WHEREAS,  Long-term residents of adult care homes appear to be
increasingly frail and cognitively impaired requiring tremendous amounts
of physical care by the certified nurse aides; and

      WHEREAS,  Certified nurse aides would benefit from additional pe-
riodic formal training on the subjects of stress, effective communication
with other staff members and improvement in the care of residents with
increasingly demanding care needs;

      Be it resolved by the Senate of the State of Kansas, the House of Rep-
resentatives concurring therein: That, in recognition of the facts con-
tained in the preamble of this concurrent resolution, the Legislature of
the State of Kansas requests the Governor of the State of Kansas to ask
the various secretaries of the executive branch to examine K.S.A. 74-5065
through 74-5067, and amendments thereto, any other statutes and rules
and regulations and to identify funds which may be available for training,
retraining or continuing education of long-term care staff of adult care
homes as defined in K.S.A. 39-923, and amendments thereto.

      Be it further resolved: That the Legislature hereby requests that the
Governor report the findings of such examination to the board of adult
care home administrators, the Secretary of Health and Environment and
the Legislature during the 2000 legislative session.

      Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send
enrolled copies of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Kansas.

 Adopted by the House March 30, 1999.
Adopted by the Senate
February 4, 2000.
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