Governor approves respite care measure

Hundreds of families can now avail of respite services after Gov. Juan N. Babauta signed into law yesterday a bill that provides respite care services to families of people with disabilities in the CNMI.

“This is a very important bill. I commend the people who are behind this measure, the people who worked hard to get this measure passed,” said the governor.

Babauta signed House Bill 14-9, authored primarily by Rep. Benjamin Seman, which aims to establish the Commonwealth Respite Services Program and to designate the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities as its administering authority.

Bill proponent Thomas Camacho, executive director of the CNMI Developmental Disability Council, said the measure would provide needed relief to hundreds of families, who, for many years, provide direct support to their children or adults with the most chronic developmental disabilities.

Under the bill, the council would regulate and sub-grant a voucher system and respite care services to qualified community-based organizations.

“Anybody can create this business and submit to us proposals to provide services,” he said.

He said the council can provide training to properly equip the respite care providers.

Right now, he said child-care assistance is available through the Little Darling Child Care and Respite Services Center in Susupe.

With the signing of the law, the care services would be expanded to the adult population, he said.

“This law now extends these services to adults and the time would be flexible,” he said.

Right now, children respite care services are available only from morning to afternoon. The law, Camacho said, would provide for evening and weekend services.

“For instance, if you’d be away for two hours in the evening, you can call to get help while you’re away,” he said.

Camacho explained that respite care is a temporary relief but long-term care program that allows caregivers to take a break or to attend to other equally personal matters.

He said the program covers children, including adult children of older parents with disabilities, and or children at risk of abuse and neglect, and the elderly and individuals with chronic health problems.

Respite can occur in the home or out-of-home settings, and can occur at any length of time, on either a planned or emergency basis, depending on the needs of the family and available resources.

He said the program is currently funded by the federal government but by 2006, the CNMI should be able to identify local funding for the program.