Revamping of long-term care hearing focus

Hundreds of people are expected to attend a hearing on long-term care issues set for 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, on the second floor of the Augusta Civic Center’s North Wing.

The event will be held before the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Human Resources to analyze the King administration’s proposal to revamp the way the state delivers health care services to that segment of Maine’s elderly population that no longer can care for itself.

The bill, LD 1806, focuses on enhancing home-care options and simplifying the process for agencies to get into the home-care business. The bill also would allow nursing homes to convert empty sections to boarding homes or other levels of care to respond to changes in the market for residential and long-term care services.

The concepts behind the bill were generated by Gov. Angus King and Human Services Commissioner Kevin Concannon and their staff. The bill’s co-sponsors are Sen. Joan Pendexter, R-Scarborough, and Rep. Elizabeth Townsend, D-Portland.