Cottonwood Inc. Caught in the Middle
Erin Castaneda | February 22, 2006 12:33 PM | Link
The federal and state government tug of war game with Medicaid funding is causing a health care staff, whose wages are determined solely by Medicaid waivers, to become worn out.
The Bush administration is proposing a $45 million Medicaid cut over the next 10 years adding to the depletion of health care funds due to military operations. The federal government pays 60 percent of Medicaid costs while the state pays the remaining 40 percent. Governor Sebelius however, is pushing for increased Medicaid funding. This is a win-lose situation for Cottonwood Inc., a non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities.
Peggy Waller, Cottonwood Communications Manager, said she sees Medicaid growing exponentially in the state, but only for the time being. She said she is concerned political gains may be the objective instead of long-term help for her clients and staff.
The next five years however, are guaranteed to keep Cottonwood’s staff and 40 clients financially sound thanks to a Department of Defense contract. The clients sew cargo tie-down straps for military operations.
“The afternoon of Sept. 11 the Department of Defense called and said be ready, they would need these cargo straps once the war started,” Waller said.
They have sold over 3 million straps. The department recently awarded Cottonwood with their sixth straight Gold Medal for accuracy and quality as they begin their second contract. The contract allows Cottonwood to provide consistent work for their clients because most jobs for people with disabilities are seasonal.
Waller said that as long as they maintain this $20 million contract with the Department of Defense they would not have to decrease the wages of their staff, or worse drop anyone from payroll.
The inevitable cuts looming in the future will take a toll on their budget though. Waller said they offer incentives to their staff, but their wages still may not be enough to feed their own families at home and it is impacting their morale.
Waller said, “It is never as simple as it sounds, but we cannot desert the people who need help the most.”
Cottonwood has success with its funding programs. The Cottonwood Classies awards community employers and Salute! A Festival of Wine and Food, both raised over $100,000 for the organization this past year. But those funds help pay for their other services such as the residential, retirement and JobLink.
Rachael Elmer who helps clients in a group home with severe disabilities often takes her group out into the community to teach them how to behave appropriately in public. She says she feels the general public acts like these people are victims or homeless people asking for handouts, but that is not the case.
“People think that just because they are severely retarded that they can’t do anything, but it’s just not true. Steven recycles, John watches movies, and we even have a girl making candles at the Waxman,” she said.
JobLink is an employment services division of Cottonwood and supports 205 consumers with 147 clients working in the community.
The University of Kansas’ Edkhal Dining Center employs Cottonwood clients as part of their 100 full time and 50 part time staff. The clients help in areas such as the salad bar, food preparation area and the dish room.
Mark Marinell, the Unit General Manager for KU Dining Services, says working with Cottonwood helps him meet the needs of the students, and that it is beneficial for the clients and community as well. He said the clients help fill vacancies when his part-time students do not want to work because of their class schedule.
Two employment coaches employed by JobLink work closely with Cottonwood Clients providing support to people working on a job before they are given freedom to work alone. One of the coaches, Kriss Miller Kruzel, has worked with people with disabilities at Mrs. E’s since 1998. She says that clients increase their work skills and learn different positions often earning a promotion.
Kruzel sees the relationship between Cottonwood and the community as a win-win situation.
“Our clients are gaining valuable skills and it is beneficial for the students to see the integration of people with disabilities in society. We all have skill and abilities we can use to help, we are all human,” she said.
Waller said it would be ideal for her clients and staff both to receive all the support they need, but she knows they will have to actively pursue funding.
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