CAP CITY
NURSING THE CUTS
Hundreds of health and childcare workers braved freezing temperatures at a rally in Springfield, they say, so the people they serve aren’t left out in the cold. Approximately 700 purple-clad members of the Service Employees International Union from Illinois and Indiana gathered at the Capitol Nov. 20 to call on state lawmakers to restore $425 million slashed from hospitals and nursing homes.
The 85,000-member SEIU argues the budget reductions threaten care to hundreds of thousands of Illinois citizens by delaying payments to nursing homes and hospitals and further reducing “already inadequate staff and supply levels throughout the industry.”
Martina Casey, a childcare provider for seven years, believes facing the chilly weather was more important than remaining at her warm home-based daycare center.
“I’ve got to come out here and fight for them,” says Casey, who planned to speak with legislators about speeding up the reimbursement cycle to childcare providers.
Under the current stressful economic climate, working families rely heavily on state services, says SEIU executive-board chairwoman and homecare worker Flora Johnson. “Everybody needs help,” she says. “When we cut back, the people that we care for suffer.”
Gov. Rod Blagojevich made the cuts — which included $350 million for hospitals, $50 million to nursing homes and $25 million to the Department of Aging — in July in what Blagojevich characterized at the time as a necessary move to balance the budget. The House later reinstated the nursing home funds; however, the Senate failed to vote on the measure.
“They need to do something,” says Bonita Williams, who claims to have worked at every nursing home in Chicago. Since she joined the healthcare field in 1976, she says she’s seen worker-to-patient ratios double and healthcare professionals routinely perform the duties of two or three workers.
There’s hope that conditions will soon improve when the SEIU completes contract talks with state officials for 35,000 nursing home employees scheduled for next year. When asked whether she would prefer better benefits for staff or additional workers, Williams replies: “Both.” “When you don’t give quality benefits, everybody is going to quit,” she says, “and when you don’t have enough staff, you can’t give quality care.”
LOVE LETTERS
Scared to talk about sexually transmitted diseases? Check out inSPOT.org, a new Web site where people infected with STDs can send e-cards to their partners letting them know they might be at risk. Cap City heard about the site, inaugurated in major cities like Chicago and New York City and states like Indiana and Florida, and perused its pages earlier this week. Users choose from a variety of candid cards — one carries the message, “I got screwed while screwing, you might have too. Get checked for STDs if you haven’t recently” — and add personal messages, if they want. They send them to everyone they’ve had sex with in the past six months, either anonymously or from their e-mail address.
Anyone can access inSPOT.org. If users live in one of the site’s affiliate cities or states, information on treatment and local testing resources automatically comes with the card; if not, users can add local information themselves.
Don Hunt, director of adult and laboratory services at the Sangamon County Department of Public Health, says the department uses a similar method, sending text messages and e-mails to contact possible cases when needed.
COLORED GLASS RECYCLING
Hang on to your empty bottles of Chardonnay after Thanksgiving dinner this year, cause you will be able to recycle them and other colored and clear glass on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m.-noon at the city’s Public Works Garage at the corner of 17th St. and Clear Lake Ave. Colored glass is currently not included in the city’s recycling program.
Springfield’s department of Waste & Recycling is sponsoring the event, after a successful preliminary recycling event last September. Window panes, light bulbs and glass kitchenware will not be accepted, but bring other colored glass to keep it out of landfills.
And if you’re filled with the Christmas spirit, bring along something to donate to the Sangamon County Toys for Tots campaign.
By participating in the colored glass recycling event, you will encourage area recyclers to make it a permanent part of the city’s recycling program. For more information call 789-2327.
