Our County’s Most Vulnerable People Deserve a Voice
By Tom Wilbur
The Saline County Commissioners are discussing the future—actually, the life and death—of the Saline County Home Health program. On behalf of the caring team there, I’m asking our community to pay just pay it some attention.
This isn’t simply a discussion about a department, a budget line, or the employees. This is about the people the Saline County Home Health team serves. It’s about the ongoing care for some of the most vulnerable citizens in Saline County—our neighbors and our friends.
Every day, the Saline County Home Health team reaches out to older adults, individuals with disabilities, people living with chronic illnesses, and those who simply want to remain safely in their own homes. These trained health care people don’t just provide a service. They know their patients, their families, their routines, and their struggles. They recognize the little changes that tell them something isn’t right. Sometimes they visit once a week. Sometimes three times a week. Sometimes every day.
And sometimes they’re that one critical contact that notices. They notice when someone is getting weaker, when medications aren’t being taken correctly, when a wound isn’t healing, when someone hasn’t eaten, or when a caregiver is overwhelmed. They notice when a patient who always answers the door, abruptly doesn’t. Sometimes that one visit prevents a trip to the emergency room. Sometimes it prevents a hospitalization. And sometimes, it saves a life.
The argument has been made that there are eight to ten other home health agencies in our community and that these patients have “options.” But having other agencies doesn’t mean every patient actually has an acceptable or affordable option. Many private agencies limit the number of Medicaid patients they accept. Others don’t accept certain Medicaid waiver programs at all. Some patients have medical needs that are difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to manage.
The reality is simple: not every patient is profitable.
But since when did we begin measuring the value of a human being by whether caring for them makes money? These aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet. They are family. They are neighbors. They are grandparents. They are the most vulnerable among us.
If Saline County Home Health services disappear, what happens to the people who have nowhere else to go? Some may be forced into nursing homes long before they should. Some may simply go without care. Some will end up in emergency rooms with problems that could have been prevented. Some family caregivers will reach the breaking point. And some of our most isolated citizens will become even more isolated.
Now is the time to act. Certainly as a citizen of Saline County, you have your right to any and all opinions.
But waiting until after a decision has been made, most likely means it closes. If you or someone you love has been helped by Saline County Home Health, tell your story. Call your County Commissioner. Send an email. Write a letter. Share this message with your family and friends.
Most importantly, attend the Saline County Commission meeting on Tuesday, August 11, and respectfully let your voice be heard during public comment.
Ask the Commissioners one simple question:
What is the plan for every single patient before this program is eliminated?
If there is no clear answer, there should be no vote.
Communities are judged by how they treat those who are least able to care for themselves. Let’s make sure Saline County is remembered for standing with its most vulnerable citizens—not turning its back on them.
This isn’t about politics. It’s not about budgets. It’s about people.
Just lending my voice to the discussion— and a little light to something you may not be aware is under consideration.
TW