Quoted from CICERO

She didn't end the unfunded non-mandates as chairwomen.  County Nursing Home?

The county nursing home fills a public health need.   No reason to send our elderly residents out
of the county when they need a nursing home.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The county nursing home fills a public health need.   No reason to send our elderly residents out
of the county when they need a nursing home.

Of course, nobody in the private sector could provide such a service.  Kinda like REMS.

Public health need.

Quoted from CICERO

Of course, nobody in the private sector could provide such a service.  Kinda like REMS.

Public health need.

IMHO - the public nursing homes that I have visited are better than the privately run nursing homes
that I have visited .. with only 1 or 2 exceptions.  Unfortunately, most seniors can not afford the
1 or 2 exceptions.

Quoted from CICERO

Of course, nobody in the private sector could provide such a service.  Kinda like REMS.

Public health need.

REMS is OBVIOUSLY a vote getter just like glendale is. The taxpayers are not taken into consideration. It's all about the votes, greed and power!!

As far as a 'need'.....when you think about it, people could make up a stupid need for just about anything!!! Kinda like stratton saying there is a NEED for the 'newly hired 5'! IMHO

People will have a vote to decide the future of REMS.   I think a majority will vote YES on the
referendum.

DVOR if you're interested the public run nursing home [Glendale] only costs $9,000 a month until you're totally broke because that's what my neighbor pays to keep his wife there.

Quoted from 615

How about the veteran firefighters give up a few of there 6 weeks of vacation/sick time and pay a higher portion of their insurance to save the layoffs?

Now you know how much vacation they get....wow some of you people are really a piece of work

Quoted Text

SCHENECTADY
Cops, firefighters see service cuts Overtime budgets slashed despite vacancies
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The overtime budgets for police and fire are so unrealistic that both departments will have to cut services, public safety leaders said.
    “Staffing is going to be a problem,” said Fire Chief Robert Farstad, whose overtime budget was slightly increased in the 2011 proposed spending plan.
    But at the same time, the budget cut 19 fi refi ghters, including the three part-time positions that he used to avoid overtime costs this year. He has several trained fi refighters who come in to cover when full-timers are injured, which happens fairly regularly.
    Without those part-timers, he would have to call in a fi refi ghter on overtime to meet the minimum staffing for each shift until the injured fi refighter recovers — which could take weeks or months. And with fewer fi refighters on the job, the loss of one or two might be enough to push the staff below minimum levels, forcing him to call in someone on overtime.
    His overtime budget this year is $450,000. Next year, it’s proposed to go to $497,000.
    That’s not enough to overcome the loss of 19 fi refi ghters, Farstad said.
    Police officials are also warning that they can’t continue their current operations with the proposed overtime budget.
    Police overtime has been cut in half, with just $800,000 proposed for the patrol officers and detectives next year. The last time the city spent that little on police overtime was in 2000.
    The 2011 budget also eliminates the fund that the department always turns to when it runs out of overtime money. Every year, some money remained unspent in the department’s salary budget because officers retired or resigned. That money is usually siphoned into the overtime budget. .......................>>>>......................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01100&AppName=1

California is in the same shape and can't pay the public employees the retirement benefits they were promised and some will be layed off to ease the debt. This will be happening all across the country b4 all is said and done.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

IMHO - the public nursing homes that I have visited are better than the privately run nursing homes
that I have visited .. with only 1 or 2 exceptions.  Unfortunately, most seniors can not afford the
1 or 2 exceptions.

who's fault is that????? the hippy lovers who dont think they have to plan for anything? as for the concessions that could be done for future entitlements....do it from the
top down....feds/state/county/city and any other freakin' card carrying members.......

dont get rid of the firefighters......THE LEADERS NEED TO SET AN EXAMPLE......I CANT AFFORD YOU AND YOU NEED TO GET OFF MY BACK BEFORE YOU CANT AFFORD ME....

We'll have to wait to find out what actually happened, but there was a fire tonight at the time that the hearing regarding Schenectady's budget was occurring.  I know that the big issue is the fact that they are looking at the cutting of a full fire station.  

I will be interested to see if there are suspicious circumstances.

Quoted Text

Crowd urges Schenectady to keep firefighters' jobs, station
By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer
Published: 12:24 a.m., Wednesday, October 13, 2010


SCHENECTADY -- A crowd spilled into the hallway outside City Council chambers Tuesday night as about 200 people attended a public hearing on Mayor Brian U. Stratton's proposed 2011 budget.

Most people who spoke at the hearing on the $76.9 million proposed spending plan begged the city to restore 19 firefighter positions and a fire station that are among many of Stratton's cuts to plug a $6 million hole next year.

About 100 people supporting Schenectady firefighters' Local 28 also marched around City Hall before the meeting chanting "no more cuts," a noise that could be heard upstairs where City Council was holding a budget work session before the regular meeting began.

Firefighters, clergy and neighborhood residents took to the microphone for more than two hours, many to convey their worry that the city would no longer be able to quickly respond to fire and medical calls if one of Schenectady's four stations closed.
..........................>>>>................>>>>......................http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Crowd-urges-Schenectady-to-keep-firefighters-704057.php

"The process is still very fluid?" another quotable quote from Mayor in waiting McCarthy. The DEM trial balloon was popped last night. A total no go. Since they have no business experience, no management experience, no military experience the rubber stamps are paralyzed by inaction. An opera boffo led by Mayor SOS.

     The Bellevue Firehouse must remain open. No fire fighters will be laid off. At the same time they cut fire overtime? These "leaders" are totally clueless. Eliminate the DSIC, eliminate the Public Service Commissioner, eliminate the Erie Blvd fiasco. Give Union College a $500,000 bill for police and fire protection. Curb the curb tax. The total lack of fiscal leadership at both the City and County level is shocking. Cut something that does not involve vital police and fire protection.

Hey....the cops are conservatives and the conservatives endorse and support the dem candidates.....so I guess they got what they voted for!!!

So there ya go, boys and girls in blue, it's the government leaders that your con party supports! Enjoy!

Quoted from CICERO

Of course, nobody in the private sector could provide such a service.  Kinda like REMS.

Public health need.

Sure the private sector can provide such a service.  For free?   Generally they won't take the indigent.  

DO you think if you are with no inurance and need a nursing home that you can request admission to Baptist, or Kingsway, or the others?  The privates avoid it do the extent possible,  medicaid pays a pittance compared what private insurance pays.  I think when the use that math calculation for medicaid eligibility, I think the last time I heard a presentation, the medaid trusts and stuff, they were talking about a cost per month of like $9,000 a month medicaid pays.  I have a close friend who was sent from here, about a 100 miles away, had private insurance and still there were no available beds anywhere in the capital region, and he said the cost for his wife, what his insurance paid was about $18,000 per month. His wife was in for five or six months.  
  

How far away would you accept a spouse or parent being if we lose more nursing home beds?  100 miles?   200 miles?   Is it in a patient's best interest to be so far away from family?


This one is a difficult issue.  Yes, we pay the county so the county can run the nursing home and there's the medicaid expense.  People say to stop the unfunded mandates.  In this nursing home issue, so what happens if the state taxes over?  Where does the state get the money from?  Our pockets.  The state's medicaid bill would rise and they need to get the money from somewhere....they raise our taxes.  So it doesn't matter which pocket it's taken out of.

If payments to health facilities are reduced, that means nursing staff could be cut, or their pay could be cut.  How low should a nurse be paid, $10,000 a year?  

Some will say keep the patient at home.  Well, like this friend of mine said, his health insurance would pay for visiting nurses only when they provide a certain threshhold of real medical service, as opposed to the feeding and bathing.  Some insurances pay for feeding and bathing and dressing etc, and some insurances do not.  Those that do for sure have a higher premium and then the enrollees whine about high premium costs.  Many do not trust these people to come into the house, there's lots of theft and stuff.  This friend of mine could have stayed home, but how would he pay his mortgage?  If he applied for welfare, he'd have to sell his house and then try to find an apartment where the rent would exceed the cost of the mortgage.  So what does that solve?

Just like the suggestion that the elderly parent move in with their child, their child quits his/her job, the elderly parent's money pays for their caregiver dhild's mortgage payments, utilities, car payments, etc, then the parents money is gone, then how does their caregiver child pay the bills?   Try to get a job today when there are no jobs?  When parent really does need a nursing home, medicaid application will show that parent gave money to child so child  could pay his/her mortgage, etc, ie.. "gave away money" to qualify for medicaid, medicaid application denied for a period of time.  So now where does parent go?  No insurance, no medicaid, Caregiver child is now on welfare.

Maybe a smaller nursing home, maybe a joint nursing home between Albany and Schenectady, or something similar.