Attachment D2 Advance Package Cover Letter

Attachment D.2: NCHS’ Advance Package Cover Letter

Dear __________:

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is in the process of building a national list of all state-regulated residential care facilities in the United States. This listing will be used in a first ever national study across long-term care providers. This study, the National Survey of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP), will include a representative sample of residential care facilities throughout the United States.

We are asking for your help as we construct this list. The sampling frame will be used to draw a nationally representative sample for the NSLTCP, and to produce state-level summary estimates on the numbers of residential care facilities.

A representative of [NCHS’ contractor] will contact you soon to arrange an appointment for a short telephone call. The agenda for the call will be to 1) verify your state’s current regulatory categories for residential care facilities and to 2) request an electronic listing (preferably in Excel format) of facilities in these regulatory categories, if these lists are not available on your state’s website. Your participation is voluntary, but will assist greatly in helping further our nation’s understanding of assisted living and other types of residential care facilities, and the needs of people served in these communities.

For NSLTCP, the definition of a residential care facility is one that is licensed, registered, listed, certified, or otherwise regulated by the state; provides room and board with at least two meals a day; provides around-the-clock on-site supervision; helps with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, eating, or dressing) or health related services, such as medication supervision; serves primarily an adult population; and has at least four licensed, certified, or regulated beds. Facilities licensed to serve the mentally ill or the intellectually disabled/developmentally disabled populations exclusively are excluded. Nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities are also excluded, unless they have a unit or wing meeting the above definition and residents can be separately enumerated.

Data collected are authorized by Section 306 of the Public Health Service Act (Title 42, U.S. Code 242k). In accordance with federal law [section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act in 42, U.S. Code, 242m(d) and the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act Title 5 of PL 107-347], all information collected will be used for statistical purposes only by NCHS staff and agents and will not be disclosed or released to other persons without your consent. If you have any questions about confidentiality, call NCHS’ Confidentiality Officer at _______.

If you would like to learn more about the development of a national listing of residential care facilities, please call ______ extension ______. Leave a brief message with your name and phone number and say that you are calling about Protocol #________. Your call will be returned as soon as possible.

Enclosed is a confidentiality brochure and letter of support from residential care professional associations.

Thank you in advance for your help with this important endeavor.

Sincerely,

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D.

Director, National Center for Health Statistics

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