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Alabama Respite Coalition Formed
The Alabama House of Representatives recently passed House Joint Resolution 170 to establish the Alabama Respite Coalition and designate the Alabama Lifespan Respite Resource Network (Alabama Respite), a statewide project of United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville and Tennessee Valley, Inc. (UCP), as state coordinator of the coalition.
Gov. Bob Riley has appointed 24 members to three-year terms with the Alabama Respite Coalition. The Alabama Respite Coalition will work to allow Alabama to compete for federal respite funds. Members are: Rep. Jay Love (R-Montgomery); Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Jefferson); Graham Sisson, Governor’s Office on Disability Executive Director; Irene Collins, Alabama Department of Senior Services Commissioner; Carol Steckel, Alabama Medicaid Commissioner; Donald Williamson, Alabama Department of Public Health State Health Officer; Kelley Parris-Barnes, Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention/Children’s Trust Fund Executive Director; Nancy Buckner, Alabama Department of Human Resources Commissioner; John Houston, Alabama Department of Mental Health Commissioner; Myra Jones, Alabama Council for Developmental Disabilities Commissioner; Cheryl Smith, United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville and Tennessee Valley, Inc. Executive Director; Martha Crowther, University of Alabama Associate Professor/Grandparents Raising Grandchildren; Dr. Evelyn Crayton, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Assistant Director for Family and Consumer Sciences; Vicki Kerr, Caring Days Executive Director; Carolyn D. Greene, Family Caregiver; Rep. Cam Ward (R-Bibb/Shelby); Charles Priest, Alabama Head Injury Foundation Executive Director; Janet Wright, ALS Alabama Chapter Executive Director; Anna Bloom, Autism Society Program Manager; Latrelle Bell, Hospice of West Alabama; Karen Coffey, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services/SAIL Waiver; John Beard, Alacare, Inc.; and Brian F. Geiger, EdD, FAA, University of Alabama at Birmingham Professor of Health Education.
Alabama Respite has worked statewide and nationally for more than a decade to raise awareness of the need for and benefits of respite, coordinate caregiver training, manage voucher respite funding for various Alabama agencies, and promote legislation to increase federal respite funding.
The Alabama Respite Coalition will unite state agencies, non-profit organizations, caregivers and respite recipients statewide to further increase respite resource availability for an estimated 570,000 caregivers in Alabama.
For more information on the Alabama Respite Coalition and Alabama Respite, contact Alabama Respite Program Manager Linda Lamberth at alabamarespite@aol.com, 1-866-737-8252 or Alabama Respite.
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