You soon might be asked to sign a petition for a group that wants to plug a gap in Missouri’s healthcare services for elderly people who want to stay in their homes.
The state health department helps low-income people pay for their in-home care. But they have to choose their providers. The Department provides lists of providers after doing background checks on them.
But Missourians for Quality Home Care says there’s no organization that can help people easily match caregivers with those needing help.
Campaign organizer Alphonso Mayfield says the petition asks for the public to vote on establishing that special clearinghouse service–a Quality Home Care Council. He says the council will help make sure caregivers are available to meet those needs.
Mayfield knows the campaign is off to a very late start. It faces a May deadline to get 95-thousand signatures if it hopes to put the issue on the ballot. He says the group is trying the petition campaign instead of asking the legislature to set up the council because a ballot issue will carry the weight of broad public approval.