Letters : Proposed budget cuts would shortchange elderly, disabled

Much has been said about the proposed state budget cuts and their potential effect on hospitals, but the impact on nursing homes will be far more severe. Our state’s elderly, chronically ill and disabled who rely on nursing home services will suffer if the governor’s state budget proposals are adopted.

The governor has proposed cutting funding for nursing home care by $466 million in the coming year alone, with bigger cuts in the years ahead. These cuts would end programs that help improve resident quality of life and care, eliminate needed funding to recruit and keep nurses and aides, cut funding for residents with the greatest care needs, and ignore rising labor, food, supply and utility costs.

This $466 million in proposed cuts would be in addition to the more than $3 billion in nursing home funding cuts in the last 10 years. Enough is enough.

A new report from the New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging, Anti-Patient and Anti-Reform: The Proposed Nursing Home Budget Cuts, shows that nursing homes will soon have no choice but to lay off more than 6,000 staff members and restrict admissions at a time when many are even having difficulty staying open.

The state shouldn’t once again try to deal with the state budget by shortchanging elderly, chronically ill and disabled New Yorkers, and the thousands of dedicated nurses, aides and other people who serve them.

 

Carl S. Young

President

New York Association of Homes & Services for the Aging

-

Albany

 

 

 

---

Reader Comments

 

Please send us your comments!

 

 

---

Add Your Comments