In California, Adult Day Health provides health care, nutritious meals, physical and speech therapy, and socialization for 34,000 frail seniors and people with disabilities as a Medi-Cal benefit.  Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid program, a public health insurance program for low-income Californians.

In March of 2011, the budget agreement that was passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor eliminated Adult Day Health services as a Medi-Cal benefit.  This cut is set to take effect on October 1, 2011.

The legislature and Governor have allocated $85 million (half of the yearly cost to run the Adult Day Health Care program) to transition existing recipients into other services.   It is not clear how many of the over 300 centers, 7,000 employees and 34,000 recipients will be able to continue in a new model of Adult Day Health Care with State general funding cut by 50%.  California currently does not have a plan in place for how Adult Day Health Care recipients would be transitioned to receive other services.  Eleven of the 300 Adult Day Health Care centers in the state (including one in San Francisco) have closed as of today.

That is why advocates are asking the Governor to sign AB 96 , authored by Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield (D, Woodland Hills), a bill that would direct the CA Department of Health Care Services to develop and implement a new model of Adult Day Health Care.  AB 96 would:

• Direct the State Department of Health Care Services, on or before September 1, 2011, to submit an application to the federal government to implement the Keeping Adults Free from Institutions (KAFI) program.  KAFI will provide services for recipients of adult day health care who are at the greatest risk of institutionalization.
• Establish that the KAFI program shall utilize licensed adult day health centers to provide services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries who have been assessed to be at significant risk of institutionalization.

AB 96 is on Governor Brown’s desk, and he has until July 26, 2011 to veto or sign the bill.  The California Association for Adult Day Services is asking people around the state to contact the Governor and ask him to sign AB 96.  They suggest using the following language:

“Please sign AB 96 to preserve services at existing Adult Day Health centers and avoid harm that would come from any gaps in patient care.”

Click here for Governor Brown’s contact information.

If you’d like more information about this issue, check out this story from California Healthline.

A Haunted Halloween Post on the California Budget

Almost everything about this year’s California budget process was scary: from the Governor’s Proposed budget in January to his revised budget proposal in May to the line item vetoes included once the budget was finally signed 100 days late.

A Haunted Proposal

This year’s budget process was scary.  From the Governor’s proposed budget in January, through the May Revise, until the time the 100- days-late budget was signed, low-income seniors, people with disabilities, immigrants, and families looking for work and in need of cash assistance have been afraid.  Why?  Because the programs that help them with health care, food, and a basic standard of living were all on the chopping block this year.

More people are “haunted” because more need help

California’s budget cuts come at a time of unprecedented misery.  In the midst of the “Great Recession”, more and more people are in need of help at the same time that the programs that help them are on the chopping block.

According to our friends at California Budget Project, from 2007-09, California saw:

Ongoing fear

When we talk about being haunted, we don’t talk about a one-time scare.  Someone who feels haunted has a persistent, recurring fear.  Cuts to medical care, in home support services, food programs, medicine, and other forms of relief are not new.  Struggling Californians are haunted by budget decisions of the past at the same time that they’re afraid for the present and future.

These are issues that affect all of us.

Who are the people who we see in St. Anthony’s food lines, social work center, drug and alcohol rehab, our computer and employment skills training center, and clothing program?  The exact same people who are haunted by the cuts listed above: seniors, people with disabilities, struggling families, people trying to overcome addiction, and people looking for work in a tough job market.

Coming home

Where do you want to be when you’re scared?  When you’re afraid for your future?  For many people, the only place that can feel safe during scary times is home.  For those who don’t have stable homes, they come to St. Anthony’s: we are their home.  Maybe it’s fitting that the word “haunt” comes from the Old Norse word heimta, meaning “to bring home”.