Based on more than 20 years' experience in caring for a son with autism, as well as volunteering time, money and resources to the not-for-profit agencies that have served him well, I can honestly foresee Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed 6 percent cut being the straw that broke the camel's back ("Jobs at risk in services for disabled," Feb. 27).
These agencies have operated on shoestring budgets for years, forced to endure cut after cut. I can well imagine the increased cost and risk this proposed cut will create for our not-for-profit agencies, our communities and the state.
We have experienced the alternatives, and they are not desirable outcomes: Behavioral challenges that result in more restrictive and costly environments; more emergency room visits; more injured consumers and staff; less community integration, and the heartbreak of developmental regression and loss of independence. This outcome is tragic and costly.
Prevention is key to lower costs, and we are about to dismantle a system of care by decimating its ability to provide prevention and intervention where it is so critically needed.
While I understand the mechanics of New York's Medicaid dilemma, its work to eliminate fraud and abuse, and the federal forces behind the politicized push to target reimbursement rates, I cannot imagine why not-for-profit agencies have been targeted to absorb this level of budget cutting.
Honest and compliant not-for-profits have proven they can be more efficient and cost-effective in providing services to individuals with disabilities, so why would we put them at such risk?
It is time to ask ourselves how we can distribute the burden of our humanity and stay human in the process.
KAREN NAGY
Rexford