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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0150.027 1998-2000 R HOSPICE of H I LO ~ CELF.RRATING LI[H, DAY ?Y DAY , a; GUARD OI gRECEORS April 2l, 1999 OFRCENS i~.~-„em, RECEIVED oan N Ilu mary Esq i tir rnmc.~.. B E lip:.-.a, hh I, Hawau County Councll tlme.._-----r{~~ i 25 Aupuni Street p°le_"--~n~ Council Hilo, HI 96720 b ~~n F Ra:rt. Attn: Councilman Curtis Tyler NENBE0.5 i.,..urinr U "vnpainha 9:-vli E (iqc CY Dear Council Members: 1 ~~n Alm Jr:yn. 0.N ,.m, ^I~u~~.a~\RI Hospice of Hilo is writing in support of maintaining the allocations as recommended by the County Council's Non-Profit Health and Human Service ~:.m~, Committee. The work of Hospice of Hilo and the other non-profits slotted for ' R" funding are extremely essential to the health and welfare of our community, ' ' ' " especially during this period of economic decline. Bn ~,Jz lb fv RSN , Ironically, it is during these times that we typically see the greatest need for human ` ° ~ services and consequently the greatest need for public support for non-profit \DNSDR, (W \C6 programs that are able to address those needs. Those of us in the private non- ^ profit sector are quite adept at devising effective and cost-effective programs to ` " address on-going and emerging social needs. Cutting or eliminating the funding for these organizations will, in the short term, simply result in fewer people being served. In the long term this will translate into exacerbated social problems that R will require even higher outlays of public and private funds to address. Ou:.r A Arfir RN. BSF Ya:n R RL1y Esy As an example of the rising need for services, let me share a revealing statistic - PE from our own hospice program. In 1997 we provided 28 patient-days of service to B,,,h,1,.,- r"~a, E.w clients who were not covered by health insurance (private plans, Medicare, "„a„„ „ Medicaid). In 1998 that number rose to 204 patients-days. Clearly, the nee¢ for „ services for this segment of the population is rising dramatically. Because we are I, ,:,r~ a Medicaze certified program we must provide core hospice services to all clients >~.,h~~. E ,>r..h~,,, esq regardless of their ability to pay. Consequently we are hard at work looking for r Ew additional revenues from every source in order to remain viable. 'the County's support is vital in this regard. ISO. 027 Comm. No. 1011 WAIANUENUE AVENUE, HILO, HI 96720 I31e No. Q UD ~J~ TELEPHONF,: (808) 969-1733 • FACSIMILE: (RO8) 969863 E-mail hospice©hialoha.net www web-factoccom/hospice/ Presented COIJA+uL Ref. To: Ref. Date N -21 - 99 I urge the Council to make every effort to maintain the funding level as recommended by the Human Services Non-Pro£ts grants program. The long-term benefits will beten-fold. Thank you for this opportunity to share my views with you. Sinc~er^ely,~~ Brenda Ho, R.N., B.S.N. Executive Director