Our efforts are mentioned this morning in SavannahNOW

Brandon Larrabee (feel free to email Mr. Larrabee a short thank you) wrote a nice piece for the Savannah Morning News today entitled Thousands could get more health care under budget, highlighting among other things, the our effort to get 1,500 MRWP services and 152 ICWP slots into the FY07 budget this week. He wrote:

Thousands of Georgians could get needed care under the state spending plan passed by the House recently, according to advocates and lawmakers.

But not everyone is happy with the budget for the coming fiscal year, which begins July 1. And at least one observer says the state could either be using money wisely or digging a hole for future spending plans.

House leaders and budget-writers have repeatedly trumpeted a dramatic increase in the number of slots opened up to move state residents with disabilities off of a waiting list 6,600 names long.

The plan approved by the House last week would create 1,500 new slots in community-based programs aimed at keeping those with cognitive developmental disabilities out of institutions. That's up from 750 in Gov. Sonny Perdue's budget.

Another 152 spaces would be opened up for the independent care waiver program, a similar initiative for those with traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.

"Both those together, I think, are a step forward in dealing with the waiting lists," said Dave Blanchard, who represents the grass-roots Unlock the Waiting List Campaign at the Capitol.

Blanchard said the House budget would keep the state on track with a five-year plan to clear the waiting lists of everything except annual growth. The plan began with the current year's budget.

"It's going to take a number of years to catch up with it and get it to manageable level," he said.

The new slots are needed, supporters say, because the development disabilities waiting lists are growing at a clip of about 1,100 slots a year. Some people on the waiting list count more than once because they need multiple services from the program.

Meanwhile, the independent care waiver program had about 164 people on the waiting list last month. That means the state can almost entirely cover the current list when 10 ICWP slots added to budget for the current fiscal year ending June 30 are factored in.

A Senate subcommittee boosted the number of developmental disability slots to 3,000, though it's unclear whether that will survive the upper chamber's final version of the spending plan.

While, he is probably right about the 3,000 - see early post...your emails and phone calls are making a huge difference and we are making progress! But it is not over yet!

Read or listen to the next post...