Dotty DeBiase has been with Hudson River HealthCare for 22 years, watching the organization grow and touting its benefits as its public relations director. Now, she”™s hoping the new MTA tax imposed on HRHC will not prevent it from expanding to provide for those who need it most: the uninsured and the underinsured.
“We”™ve just opened two new centers in Yonkers,” said DeBiase, “which brings us up to 16 centers throughout Westchester, Rockland Dutchess, Orange and Sullivan counties.” Hudson River Health Care employs 600 people, from office workers to nurse practitioners, and sees more than 60,000 patients a year.
With the MTA mobility tax payment looming in November, DeBiase says HRHC expects to pay $65,000 for 2009 and $80,000 in 2010. “That is two full time jobs with benefits, two to four full-time jobs without.” Now, HRHC hopes to be able to make the payments and not lose any staff. Opening new centers in needed areas in on the back burner.
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“The most illogical thing about it,” said DeBiase, “is that we are funded by the government. They are giving us money to open these places, then asking us to pay it back.” Bewildered? Not as much as DeBiase and much of her staff, the majority of whom are employed from within the local community HRHC centers serve. “Most of us are driving to get to work…and for those who are using mass transit, it is few and far between. It stings that this is happening to our nonprofit community.”
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Jawonio CEO Jill Warner says the Rockland village of New Hempstead organization has 800 employees that serves 5,000 clients a year with physical and mental disabilities. “This year, it will cost us $70,000. Next year, it will be $85,000. We are cut to the bone as it is. It is impossible to meet these expectations, and ironically, no one who works for our organization benefits from the MTA. It”™s hard to justify why this is happening to nonprofits, especially during these very hard times.” Warner says Jawonio also offers pre-school for children with needs and an early intervention program. “But unlike the schools, who are supposed to be able to be reimbursed, we don”™t qualify. We have around 150 children who are involved in these classes. You just don”™t tell their families we can”™t help any more. We”™ve already cut as much as possible; there”™s no consideration for any additional income.”
DeBiase wonders why school districts are being exempted but not other nonprofits that provide public service. “It doesn”™t make much sense. We”™re going to do the best we can under the most severe circumstances. What I”™d like to know is how a school district can be exempted but other nonprofits can”™t be?”
In Patterson, Joe Whalen, director of Green Chimneys, an alternative school with an emphasis on helping children in crisis through animal therapy, is just preparing his report to the board of directors. “It”™s a new wrinkle,” Whalen said.
