The Bay Area is a cradle of environmentalism and a region with a rich trove of health and medical research and resources. In this blog, we’ll report on the deepening understanding of how the places we inhabit and the lifestyles we adopt contribute to our own health and the health of our communities.
The system help seniors and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities live safely in the community rather than moving to nursing homes or other institutions. As a result of the state's budget crisis, the adult day health care centers are set to lose funding through Medi-Cal on December 1st, which will effect some 35,000 vulnerable Californians.
About 100 elderly and disabled clients of the programs are expected to attend the rally Thursday, along with family members, health care workers and caregivers, organizers say. More than 150 protesters attended a similar rally in San Francisco last week, as The Bay Citizen reported.
There are seven of the centers in Alameda County, serving some 880 residents. They include three programs that focus on clients with dementia, two aimed at Asian immigrants and two affiliated with community health centers.
While San Francisco has plans to use local funds to keep some of the centers in the city open, at least temporarily, Alameda County has no such plans. "To save the programs, it would probably cost about $9 million a year, and we simply don't have that kind of money," Supervisor Chan said in an interview.
The rally on Thursday morning is scheduled to begin at 10:30 at 1221 Oak Street in Oakland.
© The Bay Citizen, 2012
