ORANJ
Structure
The Executive Committee consists of the officers and the chairs of the standing committees.
The Officers are: President, Secretary-Treasurer, and five Vice Presidents, one for the each of the five ORANJ regions: Northeast. Northwest, Central, Southeast, and Southwest.
Much valuable work of ORANJ is done through committees central to its purpose and goals. The 2006 Standing Committees are: Newsletter, which produces the quarterly newsletter ORANJ Tree, Communications, Finance, Health Care, Legislative Action and Advocacy, and Bylaws.
Process
Delegates from member Associations meet each spring and fall in plenary session to hear reports, determine policy matters and set program priorities. The meetings are held in the different CCRCs across the state, giving opportunity for members to get to know one another in their own home settings.
The Executive Committee meets as necessary between the plenary sessions to conduct the on-going work of the organization. This Committee also carries out Long Range Planning for report to and action by the pleanary sessions.
The Standing Committees meet as often as necessary to carry out assigned responsibilites.
The Bylaws Committee, has the responsibility of developing and presenting amendments to the bylaws of the oranization, as needed.
The Communications Committee enhances the visibility of ORANJ and its objectives by disseminating information to relevant internal and external populations. The committee selects and composes press releases to be distributed to NJ news media, periodically reviews and updates the ORANJ website and interpretive brochure, and provides consultation for Oranj Tree and other newsletters of member CCRCs, as needed.
The Finance Committee mission is to provide a forum for resident discussion and to coordinate research on matters such as CCRC financing, annual budgeting and resident contracts as CCRCs face increasing annual costs and fees at a time of eroding pension funds and the need to stay competitive with alternative retirement options for senior citizens. Strategic advocacy and action regarding these matters will be planned in cooperation with other ORANJ standing committees.
The Health Care Committee serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas and concerns on health care issues. The committee utilizes information from health care surveys to expand and benefit member association Health Care Committees. It encourages the formation of Health Care Committees in all member communities. It identifies guidelines for cooperation and advocacy between health care staff and residents. It develops suggested ways residents may support and enhance health care staff through recruiting, training, and supervision of health care volunteers. It explores and shares ways to provide information to the community in the face of the privacy strictures of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and it identifies ethical issues related to emerging health care technologies.
The Legislative Action and Advocacy Committee is responsible for monitoring the various bills that are presented to the Senate and Assembly of the State of New Jersey, which dramatically affect the rights of seniors residing in Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) throughout the state. To meet these objectives, committee members actively develop associations and often long term relationships with members of the legislative branches of the state. Specific attention is directed towards any bills and/or amendments that affect the rights of seniors, veterans, veterans' dependents, and the health and welfare of those individuals.
The Oranj Tree Committee produces four issues of the newsletter a year. The publication reflects the goals and objectives of ORANJ. The publication contains the president’s message, news from ORANJ member organizations, information from regional vice presidents and news from committee chairmen, national representatives and advisors. It has pertinent information from appropriate public officials at all levels of responsibility and information on upcoming events of general interest, such as the development of new communities.
