Media Advisory
Contact: Mike Roth, 916-444-7170
SEIU-UHW, ULTCW, UDW, CUHW
For Tuesday, June 5 @ 10 am, South Steps of Capitol
Exhibit To Remind Legislators of the Faces and Personal Stories of Caregivers and Care Recipients Who Would Be Placed In Jeopardy by the Governor’s Proposed Cuts to Home Care.
“Homes of Care” Is Part of 10 Days of Action To STOP HOME CARE CUTS & PASS A BETTER ALTERNATIVE
Sacramento, CA – On Tuesday, home care providers will be constructing “Homes of Care” as part of their 10 days of action in Sacramento, demanding that legislators reject destructive cuts to California’s home care system and instead pass a better alternative that stabilizes long term care for an aging population and creates better health outcomes for consumers.
The Homes of Care exhibit, which will remain until the legislature’s June 15th deadline to pass a budget, will feature the faces, personal stories and messages to legislators from California caregivers and care recipients who would be placed in jeopardy if the Governor’s proposed cuts to home care were to be passed. The contents of the exhibit will grow daily as home care workers and care recipients arrive in Sacramento from all corners of California leading up to the budget deadline.
“As our elected officials walk into the Capitol every day to represent us, let this exhibit be a clear reminder of the hundreds of thousands of real lives that would be placed in danger if the Governor’s proposed cuts to home care were to be passed,” said Louis James, a caregiver from Los Angeles who provides care to his wife Tina who lives with MS. “Home care is more than a program, it’s a lifeline for our low-income seniors and people with disabilities who rely on it for their most basic daily care.”
WHO: Home Care Workers
WHEN: Tomorrow, June 5, 2012 @ 10am
WHERE: South Steps of State Capitol
California’s In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) system enables more than 400,000 low-income seniors and people with disabilities to live safely and independently at home at a fraction of the cost of nursing home placement. Still, the current IHSS program is targeted for cuts each year because it is not structured to make quality healthcare outcomes a priority and lacks the elements necessary to maintain a stable workforce of home care providers.
The Governor’s most recent budget proposal would cut $225 million from home care, on top of cuts home care consumers are fighting in court. These cuts would jeopardize the health and safety of more than 400,000 people who count on home care.
That’s why home care providers have joined Assembly Speaker John Péréz (D-Los Angeles) and Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) to develop an innovative alternative to further cuts that stabilizes long-term care and creates better health outcomes for consumers.
To interview a home care provider and consumer about the importance of the Homes of Care exhibit and their fight to protect home care, contact: Mike Roth at 916-444-7170
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