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Please support HB191. With mental healthcare facilities understaffed, this is a step in the right direction to provide a direct line to the governor of effective changes that need to be made. Please support HB98. Obtaining guardianship is a difficult process. The more open and easier to navigate will help families in crisis.

Re: HB94 - Overall, AARP Virginia supports the creation of the Public Guardianship and Conservator Ombudsman Office, but we strongly encourage inclusion of monitoring and oversight of private, as well as public, guardians. Re: HB98 - Creation of an APS Central Registry complies with our policy of using multi-disciplinary team approaches to fight abuse by bad actors, and AARP has supported similar efforts in other states. We understand that other organizations may have concerns over the broad scope of this publicly-accessible registry and would like to more narrowly tailor it to ensure that only those intending to do harm are included. While AARP Virginia would not oppose the bill without those concerns being addressed, as the current language does include an appeals process, we would be supportive of that more narrow scope.

Radford University has a rich heritage of educating health care professionals in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The University is committed to providing an exceptional professional education and building a robust health professions talent pipeline with health science programs offered both on main campus in Radford and Radford University Carilion (RUC), which is the University’s health sciences campus facility in Roanoke. Radford University is an active participant in the Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers, which is a regional initiative to establish a K-12 to higher education to workforce health professions pipeline for Southwest Virginia, and the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. Radford University supports HB 191 and increased investment by the Commonwealth to expand the health professions pipeline.

Please support HB191. With mental healthcare facilities understaffed, this is a step in the right direction to provide a direct line to the governor of effective changes that need to be made. Please support HB98. Obtaining guardianship is a difficult process. The more open and easier to navigate will help families in crisis.

Healthcare employees support this bill for the following reasons: 1. Coordination across the Commonwealth will create the best use of workforce resources while preventing duplication. 2. All healthcare entities in Virginia need an education and training roadmap and funding to close our workforce gap now and in the future. 3. An identified leader for healthcare workforce training builds in focus and accountability.

The Roanoke Regional Chamber strongly supports HB 191. Thank you for your consideration.

I respectfully urge you to SUPPORT HB 915. This bill is essential to prevent unelected bureaucrats from establishing the school mandated immunizations in Virginia. This establishes an additional safeguard from regulatory capture/corruption. Thank you.

I respectfully urge you to SUPPORT HB 915. This bill is essential to prevent unelected bureaucrats from establishing the school mandated immunizations in Virginia. This establishes an additional safeguard from regulatory capture/corruption. Thank you.

Children's Home Society is a 122 year old private licensed child placing agency. We find adoptive families for children in foster care and supports for youth who age out of foster care. We support this bill as it will encourage collaboration, puts the children first and will ultimately help find the best family for each child more often.

I am writing in support of HB 306 to be heard in committee tomorrow morning, which will allow a religious exemption to vaccines during an epidemic. Religious exemptions exist so that citizens can act freely in mind, body and spirit. Even in a time of an epidemic, citizens must have the opportunity to act on their conscience whatever that may be. The Nuremberg Code requires bodily autonomy and informed consent for any medical treatments to one’s body. Having religious exemption makes sure that remains the rule of law. As we’ve seen over the last two years, government has retained control over persons and their bodies in a way that would make Thomas Jefferson role over in his grave. Let Virginia continue to be religiously free, as the birthplace of religious freedom. Support HB 306.

I would like to speak please -Amy Lee Story

Good morning, I’m a experienced registered respiratory therapist with ten plus years of working on the frontline. I have seen the stress and strain on my colleagues first hand because of staffing shortages. Some colleagues became burned out after working 12 hour shifts for six days straight, in addition to extra shifts to help with staffing, some retired early, some mentally stressed and committed suicide, and some have simply walked away. I support HB 745 to ease the tension and strain on our healthcare system’s staffing. We as respiratory therapists are doing our best and this Bill will help. Respectfully and Thank you, Santiera Brown-Yearling

I respectfully urge you to SUPPORT HB 915. This bill is essential to prevent unelected bureaucrats from establishing the school mandated immunizations in Virginia. This establishes an additional safeguard from regulatory capture/corruption. Thank you.

VOTE YES on arc of va recue plan bills!!! 991 bill will provide more flexibility for families and individuals adapting their home to accommodate someone with disabilities or special needs and allow them to live at home in the community. This will allow Medicaid Waiver recipients to prioritize and fund the modifications and accommodations they need to remain in the home. 990 billwil help some of my folks get the tech and supprot they need for stufs and evreything sooget a nciedeal done!

suppprot arc of va rescue plan build back va better!!!! get a ncie deal done plaease!

justget a good deal sdone! some of my other advocates form this state use technology so they cn do stuffs soo get a ncie deal done apss this bill!

Dear Members of the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions, Please vote YES on HB991. This is an important bill for families, like mine, attempting to use Medicaid services to adapt their homes for the care of their disabled loved one. My son, Tommy, is 29 years old, has a severe seizure disorder, and is medically fragile. In the last two years, he has become almost exclusively dependent on his stroller/wheelchair. In December 2021, we had to widen three interior doors to accommodate his new chair. The total cost was $15,600. While we appreciate the $5,000 that was approved, it still leaves us with a financial burden to add to the next project, exterior ramps, as stairs are no longer feasible. These modifications are needed for everyday life, but also, our only chance at getting Tommy out of the house in the event of a fire. HB991 would look to amend waivers providing services for individuals with developmental disabilities, giving greater financial flexibility for certain services, including environmental modifications. Currently, there is an annual limit of $15,000 spilt between three areas. SB231 would allow the annual amount to be used in one area, such as environmental modifications. This would give families the flexibility to make important environmental/assistive technology accommodations to be able to support their disabled loved one in the home. Realigning the amount would help us tremendously. It would allow us to focus on our son, instead of having to worry about how to pay for expensive modifications just to be able to keep our son home… where he belongs. Thank you for supporting HB991. Teresa Elder Teresa911@aol.com 571-278-3511

This bill will provide more flexibility for families and individuals adapting their home to accommodate someone with disabilities or special needs and allow them to live at home in the community. This will allow Medicaid Waiver recipients to prioritize and fund the modifications and accommodations they need to remain in the home.

VOTE YES on arc of va recue plan bills!!! 991 bill will provide more flexibility for families and individuals adapting their home to accommodate someone with disabilities or special needs and allow them to live at home in the community. This will allow Medicaid Waiver recipients to prioritize and fund the modifications and accommodations they need to remain in the home. 990 billwil help some of my folks get the tech and supprot they need for stufs and evreything sooget a nciedeal done!

suppprot arc of va rescue plan build back va better!!!! get a ncie deal done plaease!

Please VOTE YES on HB991 This is an important bill for families whose loved one receives a Medicaid Waiver. The combination of the three traunchs of $5,000 into one annual amount that totals $15,000- that can be used at the individual and family's discretion gives necessary flexibility. There are modifications to the home that have to be made when someone is being cared for in the home setting in order to be able to remain in the community. Frequently those modifications, especially environmental modifications cost more than the $5,000 annual cap. this would allow a family to have the discretion as to how to focus their annual allowance. Please VOTE YES on HB991 thank you