Tag Archives for Rep. Deborah Ruggiero

Bill would (re)create a RI Department of Healthy Aging

Published in Pawtucket Times on March 21, 2022

There are new efforts on Smith Hill to transform the state’s Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) into a department making it far more visible and effective as an advocate for the state’s growing senior population.  H. 7616, introduced by Rep. Lauren H. Carson (D-District 75, Newport), would expand the office in the Department of Human Services (DHS) into a full-fledged state department, expand its director’s authority, and appoint local senior centers as hubs for service delivery, with authority to bill Medicaid for transportation services.

The RI Department of Elderly Affairs (DEA) was created by law in 1977 and remained a department until 2011, when the legislature changed it to a division within the Department of Human Services (DHS). In 2019, the department was re-named the Office of Healthy Aging (OHA), shifting narratives and perceptions associated with growing older. At press time, the Office of Healthy Aging remains a division under the Department of Human Services. 

“Rhode Island should invest much more than we do in services that enable people to age in place and safely remain in their communities. Those services are far more cost-efficient overall, and encourage an active, more fulfilling lifestyle for people as they age”, says Carson in a statement announcing the introduction of the bill on March 2, 2022. “Considering that a quarter of our population consists of seniors, and that ratio is growing as the Baby Boomers join them, now is the time,” she adds.

At press time, the bill has been sent to the House Finance Committee, and its cost has not yet been determined and there is no companion measure introduced yet in the Senate.

“Working cooperatively with the senior centers operating around the state, we could make it much easier for people to access the support they need as they age, and really make the quality of life much better for the entire older population of our state,” says Carson expressing the importance of the state’s senior centers.

H. 7616 would authorize the new Department of Healthy Aging to protect and enable seniors to stay healthy and independent by providing meals, health programs, transportation, benefits counseling and more. Under the bill, the department would provide professional development to agencies and programs that provide services to seniors in the state and become a clearing house to help those agencies and businesses assist senior centers, which would serve as hubs for the delivery of services from the state.

In particular, H 7616 directs the new department to manage and develop a multi-tiered transportation system that works with the Department of Human Services, the Department of Transportation, senior centers and with all existing modes of public transportation to develop transportation plans that suit the elderly population of each municipality. The director would be enabled to authorize senior centers to bill Medicaid for transportation they provide.

The legislation also seeks to have the new department develop and submit to the General Assembly a funding formula to meet the requirements the new law sets forth, including input from seniors and the caregivers and allocating funding to each municipality based on its senior population, with restrictions that the funding be used only for senior programs.

Carson explains that this bill is intended to start important dialogue among state lawmakers, state officials and aging organizations about appropriately providing for Rhode Island’s aging population.

 “Whether or not we pass this bill this year, we have to address the needs of our growing older population. Leaving those needs unmet has a much greater price tag than decent locally administered basic programs would. Our whole state would be better served by investments that keep seniors safe with support in their community,” Carson said.

OHA and Aging Advocates Give Their Two Cents

Nicole Arias, a spokeswoman for OHA, says “we look forward to any future discussions and collaborations with community members, partners, and legislators.” When asked if the Rhode Island Advisory Commission on Aging, charged with advising the governor on aging policies and problems impacting older Rhode Islanders, Chair James Nyberg stated the commission also plans to review and discuss the bill at an upcoming meeting. 

“Our office looks forward to participating in dialogue that empowers and supports our aging residents and championing essential quality of life items such as healthy housing and reliable transportation. While our office is still unpacking H 7616, we appreciate Rep. Carson and the bill’s cosponsors for advocating on behalf of our senior residents,” says Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, who over sees the state’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC). The group works to preserve senior’s quality of life in all settings and coordinates state policy concerning all sectors of long-term care for seniors.

Bernard J. Beaudreau, Executive Director of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island, says his group strongly supports any and all efforts that increase the state’s programs and services to address the growing needs of our aging population, especially those with low and moderate incomes.  The state-wide coalition calls for the reinstatement of OHA to a full department, but not without the commensurate expansion of funding and services that are needed for this important state government function.   

“When the Department of Elderly Affairs was reorganized to be a division of the Department of Human Services, we were concerned that it signified a diminishing of the importance of senior needs in the state budget.  While from a management perspective, the division within the larger Department of Human Services could streamline the delivery of services, there would still be the need to increase staffing and programs to meet the growing needs,” says Beaudreau. This did not happen in the ensuing years.

“Restoring the OHA to a department status will strengthen its position at the budget table and elevate the importance of programs supporting older residents of our state. We hope that will make a difference,” says Beaudreau.

“The legislation proposed by Rep. Carson elevates the conversation about the importance of age-friendly policies that enable Rhode Islanders to choose how we live as we age,” said AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor. “AARP Rhode Island looks forward to being part of this conversation and continuing to advocate fiercely at both the state and local levels for enhanced home and community-based supportive services, accessible and affordable housing and transportation options, and full inclusion of people of all ages and abilities in community life,” she said. 

According to Maureen Maigret, policy consultant and chair of the Aging in Community Sub-committee of Rhode Island’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council, H 7616 is a very significant bill that will help to stimulate a long due discussion as to how the state should fund senior programs and services in light of the state’s growing age 65 and older population. This age group is projected to represent at least one in five of  the state’s residents by 2040.

Maigret recalls that the state’s Department of Elderly Affairs was created by law in 1977 and remained a cabinet level department until 2011 when the Rhode Island General Assembly changed it to a division within the Department of Human Services as part of the enacted budget bill.  Eight years later, lawmakers would change the agency’s name from the division of elderly affairss the OHA. The enacted law placed OHA in the Department of Human Services for administrative purposes and called for the OHA Director to be appointed by and to report to the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate.

When Maigret left her position of Director of Elderly Affairs (serving from 1991 to 1994), its budget for FY1995 was $13.9 million (state funds) and it had at least 60 full-time employees. The state’s  FY2022  budget for OHA stands at $12 million (state funds) with 31 authorized employees, she said.

Maigret warns that the existing OHA is under-resourced both in state funding and human resources. She calculates that Rode Island spends about fifty dollars per older person (age 65 and older) when taking into account state funding for senior services and its population age 65 and over.

“We could do so much more to support our older adults by addressing service gaps especially for those not poor enough to meet our strict Medicaid income eligibility rules which require older adults to have income less than $13,600 and assets less than $4,000 single and $6,000 for a couple,” Maigret says. Funding for local senior centers and programs in Rhode Island municipalities should be calculated by at least $10 per person aged 65. 

Maigret urges state lawmakers to support local transit assistance efforts, to increase funding for caregiver support programs, and to expand information services to provide assistance to seniors to assist them to find subsidized home maintenance and chore service programs.  Better funding should be allocated to support volunteer programs that provide companionship and other services to reduce social isolation,“ she says.

“I suggest reverting the OHA to a full department as called for in H 7616 only if there is a concomitant increase funding and resources, says Maigret, noting that one source of funding could be available from  the Perry/Sullivan law (that the Governor’s budget proposes to defer for FY2023.),  These state funds could be used to allow OHA to truly provide the needed supports and services to older adults to live full and healthy lives as intended in the department’s creation,” she says.

“Older adults suffered greatly during the COVID pandemic – 90% of the deaths were individuals 60 and over, claims Vin Marzullo, a well-known aging advocate who served as a federal civil rights and and national service administrator. “We must provide greater attention and care for this vulnerable population,” he says. 

“Since the proposed legislation to elevate the OHA to department status was initiated by the Rhode Island House, I would hope that former House legislator, Marie Cimini, would welcome and embrace this legislation to become a premiere agency for the Governor, quips the West Warwick resident. He notes that Cimini was recently nominated by Gov. Dan McKee for the position of Director of the state’s Office of Healthy Aging.  This nomination requires Senate confirmation.

The other cosponsors of the H 7616 include Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Dist. 74, Jamestown, Middletown), Rep. James N. McLaughlin (D-Dist. 57, Cumberland, Central Falls), Rep. Terri Cortvriend (D-Dist. 72, Portsmouth, Middletown), Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), Rep. Edith H. Ajello (D-Dist. 1, Providence) and Rep. Brandon Potter (D-Dist. 16, Cranston).

Hopefully the upper chamber will see the wisdom in considering a companion measure to  H. 7616.  Let the debate begin. 

For more details about OHA, go to https://oha.ri.gov/

Recalling the Life and Times of Dave

Published in the Woonsocket Call on August 9, 2015

            Four days ago friends, Smith Hill colleagues, and media gathered at a memorial service to commemorate the life and times of the late David Raymond Barber, known to those attending simply as Dave, at Lachapelle Funeral Home. Over 100 people gathered at the Pawtucket funeral home to remember Dave, an award-winning veteran radio broadcaster with extensive experience in talk radio programming, marketing and advertising.

At the memorial service on August 6, everyone knew Dave had transitioned from radio talk show host to his current job at Capitol Television, .hosting the program “Straight from the Gavel.”  For those who tuned into this cable program, they learned the mysteries of political sausage making, specifically how bills became enacted into law.  During seven and a half years, he hosted 390 episodes of “Straight from the Gavel, and about 600 five-minute Capitol Spotlights, interviewing members of the state’s General Assembly.  His replacement will find that Dave has very big shoes to fill.

Sharing Personal Memories 

During the two-hour memorial service, personal stories where shared by a few of Dave’s colleagues and friends.

Rep. Deborah Ruggiero (D-Jamestown) said that Dave always tuned into her radio show, “Amazing Women,” taped during the week and aired on Sunday morning. “He would take time to find me and comment about a question or a certain segment of the show.  That was Dave.  He was so genuine and honest,” said Ruggiero.

His liking of people made him a very good interviewer for the State House cable show television, added Ruggiero.  “He would always be present with the guest at the other side of the microphone. Nothing mattered to him but that conversation,” she said.

Luigi DelPonte, Senate Doorman for four years, remembered that a mutual love of fashion caused him to seek out the man who everyone said was a better dresser than him.  The North Providence resident said that after this initial meeting “You’d be hard pressed to find Dave with a hair out of place.  From his tanned skin, manicured finger nails and tailored suits to his French cuff shirts and shined shoes.”

“I guess some might just call him a Fashionista,” said Del Ponte.

When first meeting Dave, Ron St. Pierre, morning talk-show host on WHJJ-AM, knew that Dave was “conversationalist,” a talk show host “who knew there’s a big world out there beyond just politics.”

As to one of Dave’s most memorable shows on WPRO, St. Pierre remembers him telling callers to talk about their favorite summer song and then a snip of the tune would follow.  St. Pierre drove home enjoying the program.  Pulling into his driveway he listened to the last 20 minutes until the show went off the air.  “That’s he ultimate compliment you can pay anyone on the radio,” he said.

Dave’s Rhode Island Adventure

Rep. Dennis Canario (D-Portsmouth, Tiverton and Little Compton), brought up Dave’s love for his cream-colored Italian-made Vespa scooter.  “I helped him get his helmet painted to match the color of it,” said the Deputy Majority Leader. “He was the infamous social butterfly on two wheels,” he said, noting that following Barber’s adventures on his scooter was almost like “Where in Rhode Island is Dave now.”

Jason Golditch, Senior Producer and Director at Capitol Television, told a story to illustrate Dave’s love of baseball and his sense of humor.  Golditch says that oftentimes he would give out a fantasy baseball card with his image on the card along with a real major league baseball player wearing Detroit Tiger uniforms. “Little did those he gave the card to realize the photo was from a fantasy camp he once attended,” he added, noting that Dave would “go on to answer people’s questions about what it was like to play in the major leagues.”

Former WLNE-TV ABC 6 reporter and anchor Mark Curtis noted that Dave was “relentless” in using social media.  Over six years Dave sent him almost 1,000 Facebook messages, texts and tweets, many sharing news tips that would allow his television station to quickly break a story.

Protecting the Public Interest

For this writer, I can say that Dave used his microphone as a talk radio host in Michigan and his brief stint at WPRO in Rhode Island to protect the public interest.  He was very outspoken and opinionated, but his listeners loved him.  They regularly tuned in to hear him taking on some of the biggest political heavyweights in these states.  He was knowledgeable about his topic, yet very entertaining to boot.  More important, he got his points across well.

Oftentimes, the former Pawtucket resident who would later relocate to East Greenwich, would say to this writer that he was “never happier being in a job surrounded by politics 24/7.

Dave loved to watch Rhode Island’s political scene, critiquing to those who would listen how an elected official’s message would generate support or fall flat.  Like his days in talk show radio, he really called it like he saw it.

Progressive to the core, he was a strong union supporter.  In my many conversations with Dave he repeatedly stressed the need and importance of unions. He also brought his understanding of media to many of the Rhode Island nonprofits around the Ocean State including the historic Slater Mill to help raise money, also to give marketing and public relations tips gleaned from his years in the advertising business.

After a long workweek, or on weekends, you might just see him, very tanned puttering around South County on his creamed-colored Vespa.  He loved to go to the beach to view “the majestic Narragansett surf” at Bonnet Shores Beach Club, where he was a member. Or you might run into Dave leisurely reading the New York Post at his favorite East Greenwich breakfast joint, the Main Street Café or even Kip’s Restaurant in Pawtucket, when he lived in that city.

At age 60, Dave died too young but touched many people throughout his six decades of life.  From Facebook messages, it’s quite clear that little things in life do count even more than larger more visible ones.  Kind words and support at the exact time needed can have a major impact on a person and will be remembered decades later.  Over the years Dave was there for many, and they remembered him for that, too.

But, Dave’s untimely death gives everyone an important message how to live.  Each and every day tell your friends and loved you care for them and thank them for being in your life.  If you don’t do this, you may just never have that chance.

Herb Weiss, LRI ’12 is a Pawtucket writer covering aging, health care and medical issues.  His email is hweissri@aol.com.