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County Health Care Agency Recognized for
Quality Service
The Legislature, without dissent (Legislator
Kathy Luz Herrera was absent), commended Tompkins County Home Health
Care, the certified home health agency operated by the county Health
Department, for “tremendous efforts in providing quality home care to
the residents of Tompkins County.” For the second straight
review, the agency has earned the state’s highest level of approval
from the state, following an intensive five-day on site visit, document
and field review conducted by the New York State Health Department.
Public Health Director Alice Cole is proud of
the dedication and professionalism exhibited by the Home Care staff in
receiving their second consecutive deficiency-free survey from the New
York State Department of Health. “Having one deficiency-free
survey is noteworthy,” Cole states, “but achieving a second one is
monumental.” The state, she adds, has never before awarded a home
health agency two consecutive deficiency-free reviews.
The home health agency also earned the
highest possible rating in a recent Medicare quality outcomes survey
for acute care and earned a 94 percent satisfaction rate from home care
clients surveyed during 2006.
Contact: Alice Cole, Director
of Public Health, 274-6674; Nathan Shinagawa, Chair, Health and Human
Services Committee, 280-7557
Also related to health care, the Legislature
approved slight increases in rates for some home health care fees and
modified the fee structure for the county’s Mental Health Clinic, the
new charged implemented to maximize third party insurance revenues.
County Administrator Commends Staff for
Work During Recent Storm
County Administrator Stephen Whicher told the
Legislature the performance of county workers during the recent heavy
snow was “outstanding”. Staff in the Highway and Facilities
Divisions and emergency responders, he said, worked long hours, some
putting in close to 12-hour days during the situation, keeping roads
clear, facilities running, and citizens safe.
Legislature Authorizes Grant Application
for Home Ownership Program
The Legislature authorized the county to seek
funding assistance under the New York State Small Cities Community
Development Block Grant Program, to support the Tompkins County
Homeownership Program. The program has been funded through seven
previous such grants since 1993. The Legislature also amended the
Home Ownership Program to increase the eligible purchase price to
$150,000, responding to the market-related increase in local housing
prices.
Contact: Martha Robertson, Planning, Chair, Development, and Environmental Quality Committee, 272-0584. Memorial Donation to Fund Program for
Frail Elderly
The Legislature gratefully accepted a
donation in the amount of $10,000 in memory of Marilynn Efroymson
Gazevitz to assist frail elders and their caregivers with services to
enable the elderly to live independently. The funds will be used
to support services for qualifying individuals through the county’s
Office for the Aging.
Contact: Lisa Holmes, Director,
Office for the Aging, 274-5482; Nathan Shinagawa, Chair, Health and
Human Services Committee, 280-7557
Legislature Accepts State Homeland
Security Grant for Sheriff’s Office
The Legislature authorized the county to
accept a grant award in the amount of $29,500 from the New York State
Office of Homeland Security. Funding will support interoperable
communications equipment for the department’s incident command
vehicles, as part of the county’s new 800 megahertz emergency
communications system. The latest grant represents the third
installment of Homeland Security funding received.
Contact: Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Chair, Public Safety Committee, 277-5104: Sheriff Peter Meskill, 257-1345 Among other business, the Legislature
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