MN Alliance for Ethical Healthcare Letter on H.F. 2128

Our partner organization, MN Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, submit the following letter:

PDF Version

May 6, 2021

Dear members of the HF2128 Health and Human Services conference committee:

The Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare is a coalition of 60 organizations including health care providers, disability advocates, mental health experts, faith communities, and veterans’ organizations. We are committed to ensuring better healthcare throughout life's journey, and we advocate for compassionate alternatives to the legalization of assisted suicide.

The Alliance supports overall policy changes being considered by the House and Senate that allow for the continued flexibility to deliver quality services to individuals with disabilities. We support the innovations demonstrated by disability providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage efforts to codify some of the lessons learned during this time that balance quality care and efficiencies.

Therefore, the Alliance urges the House and Senate to support personal care assistants (PCAs). Since PCAs are critical to delivering essential care, the Alliance encourages the state to support the recruitment, retention, and development of these professionals. As the pandemic has demonstrated, PCAs have been essential to maintaining a high quality of life for at-risk and vulnerable individuals.

Additionally, while not included in either the House or Senate proposal, we respectfully ask that you consider a bipartisan funding proposal for the Palliative Care Advisory Council, as proposed by SF2400/HF2517 (Housley/Reyer), in your final conference committee report.

As background, in 2017, the Legislature created the Palliative Care Advisory Council (PCAC) within the MN Department of Health. The PCAC consists of a variety of professionals with experience in palliative care that have been tasked with analyzing barriers to accessing this care. Palliative care is incredibly important to providing the physical and emotional comfort to patients facing a serious disease or terminal illness. It has proven to reduce healthcare costs, aid symptom management, and improve patient and family satisfaction. Palliative care is also incredibly valuable for families, who may otherwise struggle to gather the information necessary to make difficult decisions on end-of-life care. The PCAC has done critical work but unfortunately, it has been without state funding since 2017.

We encourage your support of a modest appropriation of $88,000 (FY22-23). Full funding would allow the Council to fulfill its purpose to make assessments of the availability of palliative care in Minnesota, analyze barriers to greater access to palliative care, and recommend legislative action to improve the access and use of palliative care. We urge conferees to consider this small, but critical funding during deliberations over the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Lynn Varco
Alliance Coordinator
Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare
[email protected]
www.ethicalcaremn.org

Alliance Partners:

AALFA Family Clinic
American Academy of Medical Ethics
American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL)
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
Benedictine Health System
Betsy’s Team • Catholic Eldercare
Catholic Health Association of Minnesota
Center for Bioethics and Culture
Christian Medical and Dental Association
Curatio Apostolate of Catholic Healthcare Professionals
Democrats for Life
Diocese of Winona Guild of the Catholic Medical Association (Rochester)
Disability Justice Network
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Franciscan Brothers of Peace
Gianna Homes
Healthcare Advocacy Leadership Organization (HALO)
Hospice Patients Alliance
Human Life Alliance
Islamic Center of Minnesota
Jewish War Veterans
Knights of Columbus Minnesota State Council
Life Legal Minnesota
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Minnesota North District
Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Minnesota South District
Lutherans for Life
Minnesota Catholic Conference
Minnesota Family Council
Minnesota Rural Health Association
Muslim American Society
National Council on Independent Living
North Star Law & Policy Center
Not Dead Yet
Order of Malta
Our Family Encounter
Our Lady of Peace Hospice & Home Care
Paralyzed Veterans of America, Minnesota Chapter
Patients Rights Action Fund
Prenatal Partners for Life
Pro-life Healthcare Alliance
Saint Paul and Minneapolis Guild of the Catholic Medical Association
St. Joseph Business Guild
St. Raphael Guild of the Catholic Medical Association (Duluth)
Students for Human Life at the University of Minnesota
The Arc Minnesota
The Heart and Mind Connection
The Lutheran Home Association
University of Saint Thomas Prolife Center

PDF Version