Health care group rallies in Des Plaines

Adele Karalis says she is the face of the state budget crisis.

Her son, Michael, has been a resident of Lee Manor, a nursing center in Des Plaines, ever since a motorcycle accident about 18 months ago.

“It would be impossible for me to keep him safe and comfortable at home,” said Karalis, of Elmwood Park. “This is my son's home.”

But that home might not be as safe or comfortable if proposed state budget cuts affecting nursing homes go into effect.

According to Bill McNiff, Lee Manor's administrator, Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed budget would slash 6 percent of state Medicaid funding that nursing homes currently receive. Because about 80 percent of Lee Manor's residents are Medicaid-funded, the cut would translate to an annual loss of about $500,000 for the facility, which has about 240 residents 240 employees, McNiff said.

“Labor is our biggest expense, so that's were we would be affected,” McNiff said. “Maybe the rooms wouldn't get cleaned as often or the meals wouldn't always be on time.”

Karalis was one of a handful of people who spoke at a rally Monday sponsored by the Health Care Council of Illinois. About 100 people wearing red T-shirts and chanting “stop the cuts” attended the event in back of the facility on Lee Road. Most where Lee Manor patients.

If Quinn's budget is adopted as is, about 7,000 health care jobs would be lost statewide, said Pat Comstock, executive director of the Health Care Council of Illinois.

“This is about the quality of care for our seniors, it's about the safety of our nursing home residents and it's about jobs,” Comstock said.

The cuts proposed by Quinn would also affect federal government funds, she said.

“Six percent translates to $70 million in state funds,” Comstock said. “But we also get matching funds from the federal government. That match would go away and we will end of losing a total of $140 million.”

The Health Care Council is a lobbying group the represents more than 500 nursing facilities and 80,000 nursing home professionals. The group is taking a motor home around the state to drum up opposition to Quinn's plan. The tour was in Buffalo Grove on Saturday.

Julia Conkin has lived at Lee Manor for three years.

“How would (these cuts) affect us? Well we would have to move and start over, move and start over all the time,” Conkin said. “Please don't take away my home.”