THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY BROOKS, BAKER, BEYER, BOYD, CALTAGIRONE, CRUZ, P. COSTA, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS, EVERETT, GEIST, GINGRICH, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HELM, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, KULA, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MILLARD, MOUL, MUNDY, MUSTIO, OBERLANDER, PAYNE, PICKETT, QUINN, RAPP, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROSS, SANTONI, SEIP, SWANGER, TALLMAN, VULAKOVICH, WATSON, YOUNGBLOOD AND DAY, JUNE 25, 2009

INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, JUNE 25, 2009  

A RESOLUTION

Congratulating graduates of the Pennsylvania Empowered Expert

Residents (PEER) Project and recognizing Friday, June 26,

2009, as "Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents (PEER) Day"

in Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, The Department of Aging administers the Long-Term

Care Ombudsman Program Statewide for consumers 60 years of age

or older, and the department partners with the 52 local Area

Agencies on Aging in this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, The ombudsman program supports and empowers

consumers to resolve individual complaints involving long-term

care services and also works to improve and enhance the long-

term care system, its laws, regulations, policies and

administration through public education and empowerment; and

WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is the first state nationwide to

creatively include a resident dimension within its ombudsman

program to support individuals living in long-term care

facilities and to educate residents and staff on resident rights

in the 84 facilities across this Commonwealth where they reside;

and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents (PEER)

Project offers an additional mechanism to equip residents with

the knowledge to enable them to be a part of the solution; and

WHEREAS, The PEER Project was developed to train resident

advocates to work from within the respective long-term care

facilities where they reside to enhance the quality of care and

quality of life; and

WHEREAS, PEER Project graduates volunteer their time and

expertise to self-advocate issues that resonate among their

peers; and

WHEREAS, The PEER Project, working with and supporting local

ombudsman programs in counties throughout this Commonwealth has

grown since its inception in June 2002; and

WHEREAS, The PEER Project has graduated more than 650

residents in long-term care facilities in the following 29

counties: Cambria, Chester, Clearfield, Columbia, Montour, Elk,

Jefferson, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Luzerne, Wyoming, Lycoming,

Mercer, Mifflin, Juniata, Montgomery, Perry, Schuylkill,

Crawford, Warren, McKean, Potter, Forest, Cameron, Sullivan,

Carbon, Franklin, Blair and Beaver; and

WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania State Long-Term Care Ombudsman

Program recognizes PEER Project graduates as certified volunteer

ombudsmen and congratulates all participants for promoting and

educating advocacy among residents of long-term care facilities

in this Commonwealth; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives congratulate

every PEER Project graduate's advocacy on behalf of their fellow

residents in long-term care facilities and recognize June 26,

2009, as "Pennsylvania Empowered Expert Residents (PEER) Day" in

Pennsylvania.