Senator John Heinz Memorial Awards

• Mary Brooks Soule’ Allen Rodrigue
• John Michael Hall

This award is named in honor of the late Senator John Heinz III in tribute to his efforts on behalf of Adult Day Services. The award recognizes an individual, business, private or public organization, or an elected official making an outstanding contribution to the field of Adult Day Services but not directly or indirectly responsible for the operation of an Adult Day Services program.

Mary Brooks Soule’ Allen Rodrigue, Advisory Board
Senator John Hainkel, Jr., Home and Rehabilitation Center Adult Day Services
New Orleans, LA

Since the New Orleans Home for Incurables first opened in 1895 as a non-denominational, not-for-profit, private facility, it has had an exclusively female board of directors. Their mission has always been to care for people who were considered to have no hope of ever recovering from their afflictions. Over the years people of all ages, from babies in baskets left on the doorstep, to the elderly, have been brought to the Home to receive aid and care. In 1978, the State of Louisiana purchased the Home because it eagerly desired a top-notch nursing facility in the New Orleans area. The state renamed the facility; however, the ladies of the board of the New Orleans Home for Incurables maintained their separate identity and continued acting in their role of being advocates and guardians for the residents. The ladies of the Board, at that time, decided to invest the proceeds of the sale and use these funds to augment what the state provided the residents of the Home. In short, they used these funds to fill in the gaps that various administrations left unfilled in order to maintain and improve the quality of life for the Home's residents. In many ways, it is the consistent assistance of this dedicated board that has allowed the facility to enjoy its highly rated status for so many years.
 
Mary Brooks Rodrigue has been a member of this board for 17 years and has had the honor of serving as president of the board for the last 11 years. During her term as president, she has had to fight the State of Louisiana and its governors on five separate occasions to keep the Home open. In 2003, in an effort to expand the services provided by the facility, she encouraged the board, which consists of a dedicated and diverse group of New Orleans' female citizens, to spend $300,000 for the sole purpose of renovating a de-licensed, closed wing of the home to create the Adult Day Health Care Center. In addition, in 2004, the board made a substantial financial donation that funded all furnishings for the new adult wing. Although the opening of the facility was delayed due to the threat of closure by the governor for political reasons and by Huricanes Katrina and Rita, the beautiful, state-of-the-art Adult Day Health Care Center was finally opened in November of 2006.
 
At the dedication of the new center on November 18, 2008, Mary Brooks is quoted in a Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals News Release as stating, "Since Katrina, the need for these services is even greater, and we are excited that this innovative, community based program will be part of the new health care system. The Board's decision to fund the renovation will continue the history and strengthen the services to the community." 

The Adult Day Health Care Center allows clients to live in their homes and visit the center during the day to receive services such as health care education and assistance with activities of daily living. The Center also provides recreational activities and opportunities for social interaction.  Caregivers choose the days and hours they want their family members to attend; transportation to and from the facility is available. Dr. Charles A. Cefalu, the Center's medical director and a nationally recognized expert in geriatric care, stated, "Adult day care is considered to be one of the best kept secrets in health care. The ultimate goal of the center is to promote greater independence and community involvement to prevent or delay nursing facility placement."
 
In addition to being the residence for 109 people, the Home employs 136 people. The Adult Day Health Care Center has a daily average of approximately 40 individuals with its own staff of six employees. The Home maintains teaching affiliations with many of the leading educational systems in the metropolitan area. A number of local colleges and universities, including LSU Health Sciences Center, utilize the Home as a clinical training site for student rotations, practicum, internship, and field work for the students. 
 
During the current legislative session held in Baton Rouge, the Home was slated to be sold or leased to a private entity. This measure was initiated without any discussion with any of the individuals involved or even the knowledge of the local State Representative. Through the efforts of Mary Brooks Rodrigue and the support of her board, this proposed legislation was defeated and a subsequent resolution was passed to study the future fate of this institution. She testified to legislative committees that—due primarily to the income derived from the Home's Medicaid, Medicare and VA reimbursements and income from private pay patients, private insurance and income from the Adult Day Health Care Center—the Home returned revenues back to the state general fund in excess of the amount that the state budgets. This information turned the tide at the state capital and a miraculous victory was grasped from an administration that has become notorious for reducing health care services throughout the state. Her efforts epitomize the proud 100 year tradition of community support for the residents of the Home, and it is her work that has created and maintained the Adult Day Health Care Center at the Home and enabled her to continue to grant needed health care services, jobs, and educational opportunities to a city that has been tragically reduced.

—Written by Robert Rodrigue

John Michael Hall, Secretary
Pennsylvania Department of Aging
Harrisburg, PA

From his first involvement with Pennsylvania's aging system in 2007, Mike Hall has been a strong advocate of adult day services and other home-based care options. In January of 2007, Governor Ed Rendell appointed Hall as the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Long Term Living. His office, a joint Deputate for the Departments of Aging and Welfare, provides a variety of long-term living options for older adults in Pennsylvania. As the Deputy Secretary of the Office of Long Term Living from 2007 until late 2008, Hall emphasized the Commonwealth's goals of shifting public perception from viewing long-term care as simply a code word for nursing homes, to instead showing the array of possibilities that exist for older adults who want to maintain independence and remain at home.

Hall demonstrated his interest in providing choices for older adults and giving them a high level of personal control over their long term living arrangement decisions. The role of adult day services within this system is obvious, offering a way for aging adults and adults with disabilities to remain at home and in their own communities.

Beginning in March of 2007, Hall oversaw the transition of nearly 2,500 older adults from Pennsylvania nursing homes back into the community.  With programs like this, Hall pursues innovative alternatives to dependence on nursing homes. During Hall's time as Deputy Secretary, home and community based services saw a growth of about 10 percent. This shift shows how Hall has redirected the flow of older adults from a one-way track to nursing homes, to a many-forked road with multiple options for each individual.

In his role as Secretary of the Department of Aging, Mike Hall can often be found visiting Pennsylvania senior centers and assisted living facilities to promote adult day services centers. His passion for the field of home-based care is evident in his community involvement. In January of 2009, he attended the Pennsylvania Farm Show's Older Pennsylvanians' Day, greeting guests and informing them about the services available from the Department of Aging. Hall frequently takes time to visit care centers around the state to gain a better understanding of the various issues facing all varieties of adult living facilities.

Ever since his appointment to the Office of Long Term Living in 2007, Hall has revived the emphasis on adult day services for the Department of Aging.  With his help, "adult day services" has become a common word in Harrisburg, and has taken its place as a leading mode of adult care.  Hall meets regularly with directors of Pennsylvania's Adult Day Services Centers, and takes personal interest in their needs and programming. He takes particular interest in the concerns of Pennsylvania centers, supporting them with visits, conversations, and promotion in their local communities. With an advocate like Mike Hall, the future of Pennsylvania's adult day services centers is in good hands.

—Written by Pennsylvania Adult Day Services Association