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“We’re dying on the vine here”

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Illinois

* And yet, all we get is finger-pointing and whining from the big boys and their chief enablers…

The Leyden Family Service and Mental Health Center is reeling from a combined total of nearly $470,000 in recent grant cuts and is waiting on roughly $630,000 worth of grant payments held up by the absence of a state budget, according Leyden CEO Donna Chiariello Santoro and documents provided by the 66-year-old agency.

The cuts and the missing funding have contributed to increasingly long wait lists for patients and larger case loads for employees as the center continues to provide a host of services, including substance abuse treatment, psychiatric care, crisis intervention and subsidized housing to clients ranging in age from children to senior citizens, Santoro said.

“We’re dying on the vine here,” said Bruce Sewick, who manages adult mental health at the agency. “The big case loads, the long wait lists — it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

The agency served approximately 10,000 clients last fiscal year out of its three locations, Santoro said. She said they’ve experienced an increase in demand for its services at least in part because similar agencies have had to shut their doors. […]

Sewick said Leyden’s programs save taxpayers money by keeping people out of prison, the emergency room and nursing homes.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:10 am

Comments

Until these problems show up in Winnetka (east of Green Bay Road), this guy won’t care.

Comment by LizPhairTax Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:13 am
Ultimately, this will mean providing services via hospital emergency rooms and jails.

Rauner has made his choice.

Comment by Aldyth Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:22 am
My daughter is a psychotherapist. They withdrew an employment offer because of the budget.

Comment by BBG Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:25 am
Too bad we’re talking human beings instead of wine club grapes. The Carhartt would never let those die on the vine.

Comment by LizPhairTax Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:25 am
Gov Rauner and staff. This whole thing hinges on the anti union demands. Drop all the anti-union stuff and a deal is there to be had. You can walk away with plenty of winning. Just understand that you’ve got to do it quickly. As I’ve said many times before, private social service agencies are build over decades. They are destroyed very quickly as we have found out. But the rebuild is decades. There are recession pressures building and an economist friend told me last week that we could be in for another recession as early as fall. Our ship if state is broadside to the waves right now with no helm or propulsion. Rauner and co. drop the union stuff, get a budget, get a contract, restore engine and helm and turn us into the waves. It will be rough but we won’t breach.

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:28 am
Just as Diana Rauner said during the campaign, with a chuckle: “He’ll drive them crazy.”
Yup.

Comment by Austin Blvd Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:31 am
Honestly BBG I would have your daughter seek employment with the feds or out of state. MN, IA, are both doing pretty well. I hate saying that but I see it getting A LOT WORSE if a deal is not made very very soon.

Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:32 am
Rauner believes in outsourcing these services, to save a buck. This is a man rich from milking businesses into bankruptcy, then pocketing anything left. As governor, he will do the same to as many state services that he can.

If you earn less than $100,000 a year, Rauner doesn’t care what happens to you. He believes that magic happens when you cater to those who have it all, so that after they’ve had enough, they will spread their blessings upon the less fortunate.

If you are one of the less fortunate, you are on your own.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:41 am
My developmentally delayed child is missing interventions that could put him on track with his peers, but every day he has to wait, his future outcomes get worse. We can’t even pay for them out of pocket anymore because the agencies that provide them have laid off so many staff that waitlists are as high as 18 months even for out of pocket payment.

Rauner is damaging my child EVERY SINGLE DAY this state goes without a budget, and he will never recover from the damage that delaying his therapies is doing. That’s the reality. My child’s life is being permanently and irrevocably damaged in ways that will impact him for sixty or sevety years. And I can’t even buy my way out of it.

Comment by Anon Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:51 am
“We’re dying on the vine here.”

That’s the plan.

The Big Win for Rauner was when enough people and the entire GOP GA went along with him on his threats to harm higher ed and social services unless he got his political agenda passed.

I can’t think of another governor in my lifetime who would have ever considered such willful destruction. And I’ve been surprised that the Illinois GOP have followed like sheep.

There will come a day when we’ll have to put all this back together again. But serious damage has already been done.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:59 am
Every time one of these service providers is in the news, is another time any legislator who thinks that short term pain is worth the long term gain of … what??? Please tell me, Radogno, Sandack, Durkin- is it worth it to YOUR constituents. I don’t hear these “squeeze the beast” and “hang in there” platitudes from the other side of the aisle. Is Rauner really worth all this! If you think that you’ll stand by him until he’s gone and then (maybe) you’ll work on rebuilding what has been decimated, it will be too late.

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:59 am
Tell them their money went to pensions

Comment by Sue Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:13 am
“Until these problems show up in Winnetka…”

Unfortunately, even if those problems do show up in Winnetka, that group of folks already lives in the third-world-compound-style neighborhood. They are prepared for zombies.

What I try to imagine is what does the world evolve to be under a continued Rauner/Tea Party type regime. Is there any silver lining? Does the donor-class catch us before we fall farther?

Rauner needs to stop demonizing Madigan personally, and unions. Publicly declare a ceasefire. (study Incrementalism, too)

Madigan needs to push publicly for a ceasefire, and project SOMETHING!

To be responsible for causing the degradation of a society is not a label that one should take lightly.

Comment by cdog Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:16 am
–Tell them their money went to pensions–

The Deadbeat Caucus chimes in.

Sue is one of those “conservatives” who believes in not paying her bills and breaking contracts after the goods and services have already been delivered.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:20 am
Sue, your rule of saying contractual money due (if appropriated) is not going to be paid because it has been applied to another expense and therefore too bad, is a bad rule.

This country is not founded on double-crossing people.

And, if this rule of yours (snarky, or not) was applied in your life to any of your receivable accounts, it probably would change your mind.

Comment by cdog Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:23 am
For this next election cycle I’d like to see some TV ads presenting a complete list of what social service agencies have not been paid and what that means - with the tag line that the Governor has put anti-union “structural reforms” as a precondition to taking care of the least of our citizens.

Perhaps that could convince more folks to “vote accordingly” (per OW)

Comment by Bluegrass Boy Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:42 am
Sad, but Rauner doesn’t care!

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:45 am
In Bruce’s mind its cheaper to provide treatment when your in IDOC custody. $18-30k a year, per person.

Comment by Jack Stephens Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 10:47 am
Norseman- I agree. The question now is, do the Yellow and Red legislators care enough to go around the TurnAround?

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 11:01 am
“That’s the plan.”

I have to agree, because if it wasn’t, Rauner would have agreed to a budget with what he could get, more workers comp reform and maybe a property tax freeze.

He’s up against a big blue wall in the GA and can’t get all of his reforms passed. He has to know this. It can’t be because of incompetence or inexperience that this is happening. It’s win-win, squeeze out the public sector either through passing the TA or inaction.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 11:33 am
- Anon - Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 9:51 am:
My developmentally delayed child is missing interventions that could put him on track with his peers, but every day he has to wait, his future outcomes get worse. We can’t even pay for them out of pocket anymore because the agencies that provide them have laid off so many staff that waitlists are as high as 18 months even for out of pocket payment.

Rauner is damaging my child EVERY SINGLE DAY this state goes without a budget, and he will never recover from the damage that delaying his therapies is doing. That’s the reality. My child’s life is being permanently and irrevocably damaged in ways that will impact him for sixty or sevety years. And I can’t even buy my way out of it.

THIS is the reality of the budget stalemate. The real people suffering the real consequences. I’d bet the commenter is a tax payer and maybe even helped vote some of our legislators into office–to be ‘represented’. So, how exactly is Rauner’s budget strategy working out for this person? What would be the ROI on the TA agenda for them? I truly empathize with you and child Anon @ 9:51 AM.

Comment by Cubs in '16 Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 11:38 am
Clog- what I meant by my comment is that in a world where 30 percent of our revenue is committed to pension payments- there is not much left for other state services.

Comment by sue Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 11:51 am
Well, Sue, here’s some other monies that went toward pensions, and it was “Because of (another) Madigan”- http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/0f7c31e8c37b47c1ac228e3f45d4a11d/IL–Illinois-Attorney-General-Revenue .

But Rauner wants the broom to sweep some of the other programs that garnered revenue from these settlements and fines, such as the Tobacco programs.

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 12:12 pm
MadLibs from the SuperStars Print Shop on “local” control:

“I want overall state support dramatically higher and then if a _________ wants to put a lot of it into _________, awesome. I’m all in for ________, _________, and ________.” Governor Rauner

The latest MadLib filled in:

https://twitter.com/GovRauner/status/713047127459569665/photo/1

Comment by Anon221 Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 12:27 pm
For the record, Leyden’s facilities are in the districts of Senators Harmon and Noland, and Representatives Willis and Crespo.

Comment by Quill Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 4:10 pm
Thank you Governor Quinn for lighting the fuse on this whole powderkeg. This will be your legacy.

Comment by Omega Man Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 5:23 pm
Reminds me of Newt Gingrich when he said let Medicare “wither on the the vine”. And we know what happened to Newt and his Contract with America. Hopefully the Turnaround Agenda will soon suffer the same fate.

Comment by bluecollargal Thursday, Mar 24, 16 @ 5:25 pm