Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

LOS ANGELES – A state budget panel has spared the elimination of Adult Day Health Care centers, at least for now.

The California Legislature’s joint budget conference committee rejected Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to eliminate Adult Day Healthcare Centers and the Healthy Families children’s health insurance program as part of an effort to lessen the state’s $24 billion defi cit, according to the LA Times.

Schwarzenegger had proposed to eliminate adult day healthcare programs, saying it would reduce state spending by $170.5 million.

Instead, the committee voted to approve $70 million in cuts to the program’s budget, hoping that donations from philanthropic groups or other organizations would cover the drop in state funding, according to the California Healthline.

Many Filipino seniors were worried about the closing of adult day centers when they heard the governor’s proposal earlier this week.

"If they close the center, what’s going to happen to us? It’s going to be hard for us seniors. Many of our kids are working and we are usually home alone," said 79-year-old Magno Dacayan during a press conference at the Silver Lake Adult Day Healthcare Center in Historic Filipinotown earlier this week.

Silverlake ADHC Administrative Director Angelo Pinto said that the closing down of ADHC’s statewide would be catastrophic. She said that the governor’s plan to cut spending temporarily would actually result to more spending by the state later on.

"People with Alzheimer’s and mental issues will end up in Psychiatric wards and require more hospitalization," said Pinto. "The ADHC’s are small businesses or non profits and if these people are out, the employees would also lose their jobs and they will basically be eligible for unemployment and that would increase the economic crisis."

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