Washington House Democrats

Dawn Morrell bill for boarding home stability heads to Governor

April 10, 2007

OLYMPIA—Legislation to provide stability and peace of mind to residents of boarding homes that lose their licenses due to safety violations passed the Legislature today and needs only the signature of Gov. Chris Gregoire to become law.

The measure sponsored by state Rep. Dawn Morrell, D-Puyallup, allows the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) to appoint a temporary manager when a boarding home license is suspended to protect the health, safety or welfare of residents.

“Authorizing temporary managers is a way to avoid emergency relocations that are scary and traumatic to residents who are typically frail senior citizens or people with disabilities,” said Morrell, who chairs the Legislature’s task force on long-term care financing and chronic-care management. “These vulnerable people shouldn’t suffer for someone else’s misdeeds.”

Washington has 551 licensed boarding homes with 26,630 licensed beds. Although it is rare for boarding homes to be summarily shut down, when sudden closures do occur, they severely impact residents.

Morrell’s legislation is supported by Louise Ryan, the state Long-term Care Ombudsman.

“It can avoid the abrupt move residents face when a boarding home is summarily suspended,” Ryan testified at a February public hearing. “It’s very traumatic for residents when they have suddenly have to move within three days. It’s a very undignified and traumatic process.”

A temporary management option is already available for nursing homes and adult family homes, but not for boarding homes.

Under Morrell’s legislation, costs associated with temporary management would be paid by boarding home fines.

House Bill 1447 passed both the House and Senate unanimously.

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