Need for health centers continues to grow – but the support is not
As an organization that reaches more than 80 people every day, we at Holy Family Adult Day Centers work to keep people healthy and out of nursing homes as long as possible. We know how critical it is to maintain a safety net for society’s most vulnerable citizens – and I don’t mean frail elders.
I’m referring to those who keep elder citizens and those with disabilities safe. They give comfort, physical strength and social interaction. These are the people who give love and hope and dignity. They are husbands and wives and working adults. Those they care for served our country in the military, raised families and ran successful local businesses.
State funding is dying. It cannot keep pace with the growing population of people who need us. Gov. Christine Gregoire and the Legislature have reached a crossroad where they must decide whether supporting this service is worth the investment.
Our purpose is to provide skilled long-term care services – nursing, meals, therapy and case management – without having to send someone to a skilled nursing facility to get it. Our visitors go home at the end of the day – and their caregivers welcome them back after having had several hours of freedom to clean house, organize activities and even take a rare nap. We help to preserve independence.
Holy Family Adult Day Health Centers is part of Providence Health care, which also includes Sacred Heart Medical Center, Holy Family Hospital and Emily Court Assisted Living Community. There are two Day Health Centers – one on the North Side near Holy Family Hospital and one on the South Side. The Valley center was closed last December largely because state reimbursement under Medicaid could not keep pace with the rising cost of care.
The Washington state Department of Social and Health Services made a rare recommendation for up to a 16 percent increase for adult day health programs. We hadn’t seen an increase in reimbursement for more than 10 years. DSHS recognized the value of keeping people out of the most expensive of care options, and in their most comfortable setting – the home – if possible. Yet the recommended increase did not make it to the governor’s newly proposed budget.
That means that every publicly funded client hurts our budget. Holy Family Adult Day Centers remain committed to this ministry and to serving the poor as well as those who can afford to pay privately. However, we can’t stay open to do so if our government and individual people don’t plan for needs before they arise.