RESPONSE TO SEATTLE TIMES ARTICLE ON ADULT FAMILY HOMES

The WSRCC Board met for an emergency Board Meeting on February 2nd to discuss a response to the articles written by The Seattle Times. The articles depicted some serious and heartwrenching cases of abuse by Adult Family Home (AFH) providers. WSRCC takes these issues seriously. We continue to expand our provider education endeavors. However, the Adult Family Homes portrayed in these newpaper articles are not reflective of the entire AFH community. AFHs offer positive solutions for the care of fragile adults and they are a vital component of Home & Community based settings. We are making a commitment to work collaboratively with the State of Washington to ensure protection for residents of Adult Family Homes.

• We've met with the Secretary of Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS), the Governor's Office, and the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to discuss how these problems will be addressed in the future.
• The stories in The Seattle Times are horrific. What happened to these residents is unacceptable. However, these incidents do not reflect the excellent care provided in the remaining 2800+ Adult Family Homes in Washington. The data for the articles was outdated, spanning over the past 10 years. There were no recent cases mentioned.
• The majority of Adult Family Homes do a good job and hold themselves to high standards of quality care.
• WSRCC supports quality inspections of Adult Family Homes and other actions that will prevent providers like those in the article from operating in the State of Washington.