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Keep Our Seniors Safe Act Signed by Governor Newsom

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) announces that California Governor Newsom signed the Keep Our Seniors Safe Act, a part of SB 172 (Portantino) which was signed into law on 12 October, 2019.

The Keep Our Seniors Safe Act strengthens the Health and Safety Code by adding safe gun storage requirements for firearms retained by residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFE - also known as assisted living facilities).

CARR sponsored this common-sense safe gun storage legislation in recognition that an estimated 70% of assisted living residents have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias (ADRD). Dementia is a primary reason families seek an assisted living placement for a family member.

Many assisted living facilities are licensed to accept and retain residents having mild to severe cognitive impairment. Common characteristics include disorientation, confusion, changes in mood or personality and impaired judgment. CARR's public records' research evidenced that some assisted living facilities were storing firearms in unlocked desk drawers, or allowing residents to retain weapons in their rooms.

The characteristics and associated behaviors of a resident with cognitive impairment, coupled with unsecured weapons inside an RCFE posed an unreasonable risk of harm to residents, families and any third party working in or visiting an assisted living facility.

The Keep Our Seniors Safe Act fills the statutory and regulatory gaps concerning firearm storage by requiring weapons to be centrally stored in the facility, in a locked gun safe meeting the regulatory standards established by the California Department of Justice.

The statute advances CARR's consumer-driven agenda focused on reducing health and safety risks to residents living in California's licensed assisted living facilities.

"This legislation (Chapter 840) gives the state's agency (Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division DSS/CCLD) responsible for licensing assisted living facilities definitive and unequivocal standards for determining compliant gun storage," said CARR's President, Christine Murphy.

This is CARR's second piece of legislation to become law; the first was AB 1523 (Atkins) requiring assisted living facilities to carry liability insurance.

About CARR:
Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization promoting transparency and accountability for consumers using assisted living services, and specializing in public document research on assisted living facilities, and the state's oversight of the industry. Learn more at: https://rcfereform.org/

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/19-1018s2p-CARR-RCFE-Reform-300dpi.jpg

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CARR Expands Board with New Members – Brings Aboard Added Legal and Real Estate Expertise

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) announced today that it has welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors.

Teri Christensen is a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties. She is a seasoned not-for-profit professional, having been Senior Vice President and Director of Field Operations for Partnership for Drug-Free America, a national non-profit, for over twenty years. Her not-for-profit organizational knowledge, coupled with her degree in Communications and Media Studies from San Diego State University, offer a depth of insights and experience that will benefit CARR's growth, expanded mission, and fundraising efforts.

Daniel Shillito, Esq. has had a distinguished forty-year litigation career in both the private and public sectors. He earned his J.D. from Ohio Northern University School of Law and has served as a partner in two Washington D.C. law firms, and as Deputy General Counsel to a national trade association. His public service includes high-profile litigation (Northern Spotted Owl; Exxon Valdez), commercial Indian leases, and natural resource matters for the Department of the Interior. He is also a Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Retired. Mr. Shillito brings extensive practical business acumen to the board; his advice and strategic planning experience will be instrumental as CARR moves towards sustainability.

"We are excited to have Teri and Dan join our board." said Christine Murphy, CARR's Chief Operating Officer, "Their unique expertise and experience add dimension and range to the talents already resident on our board."

About CARR:

Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization specializing in public document research on assisted living facilities, and the state's oversight of the industry. Learn more at: https://rcfereform.org/

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Keep Our Seniors Safe Act Passes Senate Committee – Portantino’s SB 172

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) announces its collaboration and partnership with California State Senator Anthony Portantino (D, SD 25) in the drafting of Senate Bill 172 Firearms, enhancing safe storage protections for the two most vulnerable populations in our society: the elderly and children.

Testimony on the bill was received by the Senate Committee on Public Safety during a hearing on 2 April. The bill moved out of committee with a 6-0 vote (Morrell abstaining); it now moves to Senate Appropriations before being sent to the Assembly.

CARR partnered with Senator Portantino's office to draft the bill's provisions requiring secure firearm storage in assisted living facilities - the Keep Our Seniors Safe Act. An estimated 70 percent of assisted living residents are diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease or related dementias, yet California law neither defines nor mandates safe storage of firearms, ammunition or other dangerous weapons in assisted living facilities. The state's regulatory agency, Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, also does not track the number of facilities allowing firearms. If enacted, this legislation would close these statutory gaps.

SB 172 also expands California's existing Child Access Prevention (CAP) laws creates new crimes for failures to properly secure firearms. CAP laws have been shown to be effective at reducing suicides and unintentional firearm deaths and injuries of children, citing a study of twelve states' where unintentional firearms deaths fell by 23 percent.

About CARR:
Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) is a San Diego-based 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization promoting transparency and accountability for consumers using assisted living services, and specializing in public document research on assisted living facilities, and the state's oversight of the industry. Learn more: https://rcfereform.org/

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CARR Welcomes New Board Member, Ms. Susan Valoff

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) is pleased to welcome Ms. Susan Valoff as its newest member of the Board of Directors. Ms. Valoff was installed in this role at the organization's last board meeting on 14 November 2018.

Ms. Valoff is an owner and Vice President of Windward Life Care (formerly Elder Care Guides), with over 20 years' experience working in clinical settings serving older and disabled adults. She is a graduate of Brown University and earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Chicago. Her extensive background working as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), and as a certified Aging Life Care Manager make her particularly well-suited to participate in the governance of the organization.

She sits on San Diego County's Aging & Independence Services Advisory Council and is a member of several national organizations. Her broad set of skills and knowledge of the elder care industry will add depth and insight to CARR's advocacy issues and serve to make the board's collective experience more diverse, better positioning CARR to serve an increasingly heterogeneous aging population.

Ms. Valoff replaces the vacancy left by the resignation of former board member Judith Wenker, Esq; we extend our sincere appreciation to Judy for her many contributions to CARR's growth over the span of her term.

With the addition of Ms. Valoff, CARR moves into 2019 with a full board including Dr. Joaquin Anguera, California Commission on Aging, Col. Richard Shigley, USMC/Ret., and Ms. Cindy Hasz, Geriatric Care Manager and President of Grace Care Management.

About CARR:
Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR) is a San Diego-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public benefit corporation that is the only statewide organization dedicated exclusively to assisted living research, education and consumer advocacy.

Learn more at: https://rcfereform.org/

Consumer Advocates for RCFE Reform (CARR), P O Box 82123, San Diego, CA 92138.

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