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For Immediate
Release
8/24/06
CONTACT:
PA
Senate Republican Communications
(717) 787-6725
Committee Will Hold 1st of 4 Hearings to Discuss
Technology in Healthcare
Hearing
Will Focus on Adaptable Living Spaces & Mobility
HARRISBURG -- Senators
Rob Wonderling, Chairman, and members of the Senate Communications and
Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, August 29th at 10
a.m. in Room 100A of the Biomedical Science Tower South at the University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center.
National health care statistics predict that the nation's 85 and over
population will double by 2030, swelling the ranks of Americans
requiring skilled nursing care. In 2004, Pennsylvania spent over $2.7
billion on nursing home care under the Medicaid program; therefore, it
is of critical importance to develop new technologies that will help
seniors to maintain their independence while reducing the cost of long
term care to the state.
The
Communications and Technology Committee formed a working group last year
to discuss technology in healthcare. Common goals include finding
solutions to the increasing costs of long-term institutional care for
the elderly and disabled Medicaid populations by better integrating
technology as a means of keeping people in their homes and communities
longer and improving their quality of life. The group is divided into
four subgroups to address the following issues: Telemedicine; Disease
Prevention, Management and Care Coordination; Adaptable Living Spaces
and Mobility and Advocacy.
The
Pittsburgh hearing will focus on Adaptable Living Spaces and Mobility.
Testifiers include directors of the Quality of Life Technology Center, a
National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center; the University
of Pittsburgh's Institute on Aging; the President & CEO of Freedom Lift
Corp.; the President of Three Rivers Center for Independent Living; and
the Directors of Blueroof Technologies.
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