Homplace money cut

Local News

Discussion

February 5, 2009

By AMBER DILLEY The Glasgow Daily Times Thu Feb 05, 2009, 11:31 AM CST

GLASGOW — A statewide program that assists people with medical issues is having its funding cut significantly.

The Kentucky Homeplace program, which helps people get access to medications – items like wheelchairs and other needs – gets $2 million from the state each year.

“Half of that is already gone, because the year is already half over,” said Fran Feltner, director of the program. “They’ve asked for $750,000 of it back, which leaves us with $250,000 for the rest of the fiscal year. It isn’t possible for us to run on that.”

Feltner said she’s had to shut down offices across the state because of limited funds.

“In July, we’ll take the same cut from our yearly funding, so that leaves me with $1.2 million for the entire state for a year,” she said. “We will be limited to what we can do and where we can be when we open back up in July.”

The money is a line item in the state budget and was cut by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

The cabinet had to cut the contract with University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health, which runs Kentucky Homeplace, due to recent state budget woes.

“We had to make some painful decisions and we had to cut the contract from UK,” said Vicki Franklin, spokeswoman for the cabinet. “It’s a wonderful program and serves the counties well that it’s in, but it comes down to doing everything we can to preserve basic services to people in this difficult time.”

Last year, the program secured $29 million in medications and supplies for people.

“We also try to teach prevention,” Feltner said. “We make sure people get their colonoscopies and pap smears. We teach diabetics how to take care of themselves. A lot of times, they won’t ask their doctors questions so our workers also act as advocates.

“The biggest thing we do is help with medication forms. You can access those online or by phone, but most of the people we deal with don’t have phones or access to the Internet. The paperwork can be exhausting if you don’t know how to work those issues out.”

Feltner said her phone has been ringing off the hook from calls from people who don’t know how to get their medicine.

“We’re trying to work out a way to help, but it’s near impossible with limited funds,” she said.

Kentucky Homeplace was established in 1994 by the University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health and is funded by the Kentucky General Assembly to address health disparities in rural portions of the state.

The program serves 58 Kentucky counties, including a Southcentral region, which covers Logan, Butler, Simpson, Warren, Edmonson, Allen, Barren, Hart, Monroe and Metcalfe counties.

Text Only

Local News

MORNING UPDATE: GFD responds to car fire
February 10, 2012
Two arrested on criminal trespass, public intoxication charges
February 10, 2012
Tax reform suggestions coming by Nov. 15
Gov. Steve Beshear on Thursday announced the members of a Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform and said it will offer recommendations by Nov. 15 to make the state’s tax system more responsive to changes in the economy and fairer for taxpayers.

February 10, 2012
Released felon arrested again
It was what jail officials were afraid would happen, and in fact they anticipated.

February 10, 2012
More infected bats found in state
White-nose syndrome has been detected in another Kentucky county, but it has yet to be found at Mammoth Cave National Park.

February 10, 2012
Ambulance board OKs outsource billing
After a thorough discussion during Wednesday’s board meeting, the Barren-Metcalfe Emergency Medical Services decided to outsource its billing to AMB-MARS (Medical Accounts Receivable Systems doing business as AMBulance Medical Billing), contingent on AMB-MARS adding a guarantee clause on its work.

February 9, 2012
Teen named local youth of the year
Rayne Triplett has been practicing the speech she will give at the end of the month when she travels to Frankfort to compete for the Boys and Girls Club’s 2012 State Youth of the Year title.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
Howard lauded for G/T work
Glasgow Superintendent Sean Howard was presented the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education’s Michael Caudill Educator Award on Monday at the annual KAGE conference in Lexington.

February 9, 2012
Teens to be tried as adults
Barren Circuit Court released the names of two juveniles charged in an armed robbery in October, after the court decided to try the teens as youthful offenders in adult circuit court.

February 8, 2012
Payne pleads guilty to lesser charge
A Glasgow man who had been facing a felony charge of custodial interference pleaded guilty Tuesday in Barren Circuit Court to a lesser charge.

February 8, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

Homplace money cut

Site Map