Byline: Jennie Tunkieicz
Oct. 22--A new one-stop shop for services for the elderly and those with disabilities is expected to save taxpayers money as well as eliminate the current waiting list for such services, said Helene Nelson, secretary of the state Department of Health and Family Services.
The state announced last week that Racine County would get $1.4 million to open a new Aging and Disability Resource Center.
The centers will be at the county Human Services Department at the Dennis Kornwolf Service Center, St. Mary's Medical Center in Racine and the Western Racine County Service Center in Burlington.
There are currently 18 Aging and Disability Resource Centers in the state, Nelson said.
Adding these centers is the first step in Gov. Jim Doyle's plan to expand the Family Care program statewide within five years, so that seniors and those with disabilities can get long-term care in their community, rather than going into nursing homes.
Nelson said in a teleconference last week that having such a center is the first step for Racine County joining the larger Family Care pilot program, which is expected to happen next year.
Family Care is a pilot program in Fond du Lac, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Portage and Richland counties.
The program provides seniors and people with disabilities greater choice in whether they get long-term care services in their homes, or other options in the community.
Family Care expansion set
The program is funded through Medicaid.
The Family Care program is slated to be expanded to Racine and Kenosha counties in 2008.
Nelson said the centers in Racine County could be operating by the end of the year.
The state Joint Finance Committee could approve the plan as early as Nov. 8, Nelson said.
There are 191 people on waiting lists for community care in Racine County.
Nelson said the new program will eliminate those waiting lists because Family Care costs less per person and, therefore, enables services to be offered to more people.
An independent assessment found that Family Care saved an average of $452 per person per month in total Medical Assistance expenditures during 2003 and 2004, state officials said.
Emphasis on prevention
One way the program costs less money is its emphasis on prevention, Nelson said.
For example, there are programs to help people with options like equipment, such as grab bars, or exercise programs to improve balance that will reduce the amount of falling among the elderly and disabled, she said.
Also, Nelson said, with early intervention and identifying people's needs earlier, they can stay in their homes or in assisted living centers, which in the long run are less expensive options than nursing home care, she said.
The new program will be paid for from a mix of state and federal funds that will be administered by the state, Nelson said.
Counties would continue to contribute money toward the new services, but that amount would not increase.
'This will be a great partnership with Racine County,' she said.
Racine County Executive William McReynolds said the county tax levy for these services will be capped at its current level.
Copyright (c) 2006, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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