Bob Pund has trouble getting out of bed. The Columbia, Mo., man is paralyzed from the shoulders down. A home health care provider makes getting out of bed and everything else in his life a little easier. That’s if he can keep one.

“There’s a lot of turnover,” he said. “I’ve had times I haven’t had an attendant for a little while, which is a real hardship.”

Mr. Pund also is a Missouri disabilities advocate. He believes that if Proposition B passes on the November ballot, retaining a home health care provider will no longer be a problem. The proposition also can make life a little easier for the home health care providers.

“It would make finding people easier and training people easier,” Mr. Pund said. “The pay is very low and that is also a real problem.”

Proposition B, as defined on the official ballot title certified by the secretary of state, will amend the state law to enable the elderly and Missourians with disabilities to continue living in their homes. It will create a Missouri Quality Homecare Council. This mission of this council will be to help ensure the availability of Medicaid-funded home care through recruiting, training and stabilizing of the home care work force.

People with disabilities will continue to have the right to hire, fire and manage their providers.

According to the

moqualityhomecare.org Web site, Missouri currently serves more than 55,000 seniors and adults with disabilities in home and community settings. And more than 24,000 older Missourians are residents of nursing homes, which puts the state 39th in the nation for nursing home use.

Critics of the proposition are concerned that it could lead to unionization of the home health care industry. According to the information from the Missouri Disabilities Vote Project, this unionization could not only threaten vendors’ funding but undermine the overall integrity of the consumer-directed program.

Cost is another issue. If the proposition passes, it will cost an estimated $510,560 annually.

“The ballot measure doesn’t form a union but allows them to do so if they choose,” Mr. Pund said. The council also would have consumers on board who use independent living services. Perhaps most of all, the proposition will help keep people out of nursing homes and allow them to live independently, Mr. Pund said

“It will allow more people to leave nursing homes so they can live in the community,” he said. “They could save money by taking them out of nursing homes. Better service and save money.”

Lisa Salmons, administrator for Arbor View Healthcare in St. Joseph, said she doesn’t believe the proposition will affect her business if it passes. The agency provides both rehabilitation and residential care.

“There is always a need to provide health care for people who are unable to be at home,” Ms. Salmons said. “The main goal is to provide quality care for people, that’s the bottom line and I think that’s where everybody’s thoughts need to be when looking at Proposition B.”

Alonzo Weston can be reached at alonzow@npgco.com.

Clarification: An article on Page B1 of Wednesday’s News-Press entitled, “Proposition would create home care council” needs clarification. The Missouri Disabilities Vote Project is neither an opponent nor an advocate of Proposition B. The entity just provides information.