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Saturday,ÊD ecemberÊ31,Ê2016
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www.SunCommunityNews.com
In SPORTS | pg. 12-14
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Teams prep for new year
In opinion | pg. 6
Flawed from the start
PLUS: Top 10 of 2016
Boreas classification process improper
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In COUNTY | pg. 3
Sales tax numbers good Essex County ends year on high note
Tri-county area grapples with home aide crisis Lagging Medicaid reimbursement rates threatens service to local patients By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
ELIZABETHTOWN — The tri-county area is scrambling to maintain funding for a program that provides personal care assistance to keep residents living independently. North Country Home Services reported earlier this month they would have been forced to pull out of Essex County by Dec. 31 without a financial lifeline from county lawmakers. Lawmakers on Tuesday approved $80,000 in eleventh-hour emergency funding to keep
the programming afloat. But the lifeline is a stop-gap measure and officials have broader questions about the future sustainability of the service across the region. ‘CRISIS SITUATION’ The nonprofit serves 150 patients in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties. Care is split into two components: Level 1 services are generally hands off, and include tasks like light cooking and cleaning and changing bed linens, among other errands. Level 2 services include bathing, grooming and more traditional nursing services. Those are billed back to insurance companies. But the former is covered by Medicaid
— and the reimbursement rates to the providers are lopsided. While it costs $29.50 per hour to provide those services, NCHS is only being reimbursed $22 from the state Department of Health, resulting in what Essex County officials say are cumulative six-figure losses. “North Country Home Services cannot afford to continue providing Level 1 services based on the previous information,” Essex County Department of Social Services Commissioner John O’Neill told lawmakers earlier this month. “The Medicaid rates are just far below their actual costs.” If NCHS pulls out of Essex County, officials fear 40 patients will be pushed to the second category, causing an uptick in future costs.
And if they are determined to be ineligible for that program, the result could mean a complete loss of care. “If these people don’t get Level 1 care, they’re going to end up in a nursing home,” said Moriah Supervisor Tom Scozzafava. RURAL WOES While the state’s Medicaid program is undergoing deep reforms as part of the Affordable Care Act, including county takeover of Medicaid eligibility, the looming problem — which local officials are referring to as a “crisis” — can more be attributed to the rural nature of the North Country, said Essex
EMSÊ serviceÊ callsÊ forÊ volunteers New interactive training means less
>> See MEDICAID | pg. 10
classtime, more convenience for Emergency Medical Service volunteers
By Kim Dedam
kim@suncommunitynews.com
LEWIS — A new year brings renewed focus on building a volunteer base at the Elizabethtown-Lewis Emergency Squad. The squad is finding ways to draw new recruits to the emergency medical field. Part of the renewed effort is updated training. “We are using interactive lectures so people can do more work at home and trying to get seat time in class to a minimum. This way, people can do the course somewhat at their convenience at home,” Elizabethtown-Lewis squad President Patty Bashaw explained of the improved approach. “Other than that, people need to do 10 hours of field time either in the Emergency Room or in the ambulance. Even if people join as driver or an attendant, they kind of catch the bug and realize how rewarding it is to serve the community in this capacity.” Opportunities for volunteers are many and varied, she said. “We take all shapes and all sizes. Our membership comes from a wide range of ages and all different backgrounds, whether it’s a retiree, college students who take shifts when >> EMS | pg. 5
Westport weighing bids for town hall project Downtown structure poised for major renovation By Pete DeMola
pete@suncommunitynews.com
WESTPORT — Town officials are now weighing bids for the town hall renovation project. A half-dozen contractors submitted proposals for the Champlain Avenue structure on Dec. 23.
The proposed $780,000 project will give the building a major overhaul, including foundation work, frame and roof repairs and electrical system upgrades. >> See WESTPORT | pg. 8