http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/06/MN6V12OVN5.DTL
State budget impasse threatens health services
San Francisco Chronicle, Sept 6
"...Many service providers, who gathered Friday outside the Capitol, said they've already received loans, maxed out their credit cards and even poured in personal funds to keep their centers open - and they are running out of time, money and options. Among them was Sarane Collins, 44, who in her own words is a 'chief financial officer of a sinking ship' that cares for 18 adults with disabilities in three homes in Santa Rosa. After cutting paychecks Friday to about 40 employees, her nonprofit will be broke, she said. Collins is hoping she can get a loan from the North Bay Regional Center, one of 21 nonprofit centers in California that administer funds to centers serving people with disabilities... Collins last received payment from the state on July 10. Since then, her nonprofit, called Slow Sculpture, has taken out a $60,000 line of credit and maxed out its credit cards at $50,000. The pharmacist who works with her clients has loaned $30,000 of his personal funds, and Collins has also poured in $15,000 of her own money... She is considering telling her board of directors to shut down the nonprofit. Two or three of her 18 clients have family members who can take them in, while the rest would have to find skilled nursing care elsewhere, she said. 'Some of our guys need constant oxygen,' she said. 'Five people are tube-fed. We have people with seizure disorders. Some have as many as 20 medications each day. We have people who have stage-4 sarcoma cancer, and 90 percent of our clients are in wheelchairs.'..."
1 comment:
This has to be one of the most frustrating and ridiculous situations I've ever seen! I thought this article was interesting especially after watching this video:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2008/09/19/gupta.stress.health.cnn
The video includes Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN) talking about the effects of stress on one's body and how the number one fear/stressers for people today is financial insecurity. I'm sure the state budget exacerbated many people's worries about money and I wonder how many people (including those in skilled nursing facilities) were adversely affected health wise due to something completely out of their control?
I know we now have a budget and hopefully these clinics and hospitals were able to remain open for their patients but what does this say about our society? I think it is amazing that our elected officials can quibble over things that have the power to change (ruin) people's lives and don't feel (or appear to feel) the slightest bit of guilt.
Is there a way to incrementally change the system to create safeguards for situations like this? Especially considering California's history to delay passing a budget, should we design a system where non-profits and other facilities who depend on state funding don't sink because of bureaucratic nonsense?
Or should the governor not be allowed to leave the room until a budget is passed!?
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