Hold Save Home Care Rally at State Capitol with CA Insurance Commissioner Candidate Dave Jones
SACRAMENTO - More than 1,000 seniors, disabled people, and their caregivers from across the state blanketed the State Capitol for a day of action, including an afternoon rally with CA Insurance Commissioner candidate Dave Jones. They sent a clear message to lawmakers: protect the cost effective home care program so that seniors and the disabled can live safely and independently in their homes
Despite its cost-savings for California taxpayers, the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program has been under attack by Governor Schwarzenegger. In the May Revise budget, the Governor proposed slashing the program by $750 million - half of the state's funding for the program. This is the third consecutive year that the Governor has targeted in-home care for devastating cuts.
Home care allows seniors and those with disabilities to live independently by helping them bathe, dress, cook and get to and from medical appointments, among other things. Without these services, many of California's 400,000 seniors and disabled who rely on the program would be forced to move to institutional care that costs taxpayers millions of dollars more than the IHSS program.
"My caregiver helps make sure I have a clean house and food on the shelves - everyday chores that because of my hip replacement and arthritis I'm no longer able to do. I don't want to think what would happen without home care," said Alex MacDonald, a 66-year old from San Francisco.
The home care providers, members of Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), have not been silent in their opposition to the Governor's reckless proposal that could endanger California's seniors and disabled. When he released the May revise, more than 400 SEIU-UHW members, in Sacramento for a meeting, held a spontaneous march and rally to where the Governor's news conference was being held.
"These cuts would be devastating for my client who has diabetes, congestive heart failure and Alzheimer's," said LaShon Mendoza, a home care provider in San Francisco.
As a result of the Governor's proposed cuts, hundreds of thousands of frail elderly and disabled Californians could lose the care they rely on to live safely and independently in their homes. And any potential savings would be short-lived - nursing homes cost five times more, and there aren't even enough beds in California to absorb more than 5% of those in home care.
Additionally, in a time of already high unemployment, these cuts could cause further devastation to California's economy with layoffs for at least half of the state's 350,000 in-home caregivers.
Contact: Adriana Surfas, 510-869-2246
SEIU - United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States with more than 150,000 members. We unite every type of healthcare worker with a mission to achieve high-quality healthcare for all. SEIU-UHW is part of the 2.2 million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the nation's fastest-growing union. Learn more at www.seiu-uhw.org.
Source: SEIU-UHW