A collection of features published in JUF News Express featuring individual programs at JCFS, CJE SeniorLife and Sinai in order to describe the impact of the budget impasse, the gradual decline in state support for community human services, and proposed rules limiting eligibility of the people served by our community.

Sinai pregnancy prevention program closes (November 6, 2015)

In 1994, Sinai Community Institute, an affiliate of Sinai Health System, launched the Subsequent Pregnancy Prevention program, which seeks to delay a second pregnancy among adolescent mothers through reproductive health education, home visits and support groups.

“This is much bigger than a teen pregnancy program,” said Debra Wesley, president of Sinai Community Institute. “It is about equipping our young people with the skills they need to make better decisions about life. Our home visiting counselors stay connected to the young ladies through high school graduation and often through college. The small caseload allows the counselors to show a young person that someone really cares about her. Many of these young ladies go on to become peer educators themselves.”

The program data speaks to its success. In 2014, only one out of 256 girls had a repeat pregnancy. Ninety-five percent of the girls remained in school and 70 percent of the high school graduates were accepted into college.

Yet despite these impressive outcomes, cost savings to the state, and a 62 percent drop in the Illinois teen birth rate between 1991 and 2013, state funding was eliminated this year and the program was forced to close.

“This program not only helps the clients; it reduces future costs” Wesley said. “Politicians must realize that money saved this year will just trigger increased spending for babies born next year to adolescent mothers who were beginning to create a life for themselves and their first child.”

Adult day services (October 9, 2015)

“When my husband developed Alzheimer’s, I couldn’t bear the idea of placing him in a nursing home, but I was exhausted from the 24/7 care he required,” said the wife of a retired professor who receives services from CJE SeniorLife. “Between the program, which he loves participating in, and the door-to-door transportation, CJE’s Adult Day Services makes it possible for me to keep him safe at home.”

When CJE SeniorLife first designed the Adult Day Services Program, the focus was on older adults facing cognitive, physical and emotional challenges, which kept them isolated. It quickly became apparent, however, that family caregivers also were vulnerable and in need of support.

“Our monthly support group is a chance for caregivers to share ideas and feelings about how to care for someone you love as he or she declines,” said Melissa Gelfand, CJE SeniorLife director of Adult Day Services.

Both private pay and government-subsidized clients participate, and CJE SeniorLife has supplemented the gap between cost and government subsidy with charitable contributions and grants. But now, the governor and Illinois General Assembly are threatening rate reductions to balance the budget. If this happens, CJE SeniorLife will have to seriously consider restricting admission to only private pay clients, a change that could impact up to 55% of their clients.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Gelfand said. “If this program goes away for the government-funded clients, caregivers will be forced to quit jobs or place clients in nursing homes, which will cost the state more.”

Early intervention services (September 18, 2015)

Mild to moderate developmental delays in toddlers are often easy to fix, according to Marlies Gramann, who supervises the Jewish Child & Family Services Early Intervention Program. But “if you wait until the child enters preschool or kindergarten, chances are that the delay will have increased and the child will need special education for much longer than if he had used early intervention services like speech and occupational therapy.”

At age 2-1/2, Simon was referred to JCFS because he was barely talking and not engaging in play with other children, a sign that he might be on the autism spectrum. After a year of EI therapy for five hours each week, he began to flourish in pre-school. His evaluation for kindergarten showed no need for special education.

Yet children are losing access; early intervention providers have not been paid since mid-June because of the budget impasse, and are shutting their doors. (Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger did announce Wednesday, however, that she will begin issuing payments for EI providers .)

Moreover, a proposed policy change is aimed at limiting service eligibility to children delayed 50 percent or more. This ignores research about the power and cost-effectiveness of early intervention service, particularly for the growing number of children born prematurely or with autism, many of whom are testing in the range of 30-50 percent delayed.

“It would be embarrassing if Illinois becomes the third most restrictive state in the nation,” Gramann said. “We must work to insure that that doesn’t happen.”

Overview (September 11, 2015)

Eleven weeks into the new fiscal year, Gov. Rauner and the leaders in the Illinois State Legislature still have yet to come to an agreement on the budget.

Community-based nonprofit human service agencies and healthcare systems continue to provide service, even though many have not been paid since June and are spending cash reserves and drawing down lines of credit to keep their doors open. Jewish Child & Family Services, CJE SeniorLife and Sinai Health System are watching carefully – between 45 and 85 percent of their funding comes through state government.

“Now is the time for a very serious conversation about our state’s deteriorating investment in community human services,” said David Golder, JUF Board member and chair of the Government Affairs Committee, who recently addressed this issue in JUF News . “Passing state budgets that simply continue to cut human services is not smart for ourselves, our children, our families, our communities, and our shared future.”

As a leading player in statewide advocacy efforts to preserve health and human services, JUF’s Government Affairs department has been closely tracking the current state budget impasse and advocating for the protection of vital community-based programs.