Nevada cuts early intervention
December 16th, 2008
State says it can’t pay for the therapy hundreds of children need
From the Las Vegas Sun:
About 450 children with disabilities under age 3, like Owynn Spahr (with family, left), have been waiting as long as a year for federally mandated early intervention services in Nevada. Children with conditions including Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, blindness and hearing impairment continue to wait.
… officials say budget shortages are forcing them to withhold care for the young children. In fact, they say they’re hesitant to inform parents of disabled children of their legal rights – including that the caretakers could be reimbursed by the state if they get the therapy elsewhere – because of the cost to the state of providing the service.
… Karen Taycher, executive director of the advocacy group Nevada Parents Empowering Parents, said the failures of the state’s early medical intervention program have created a crisis of profound proportions for families that qualify for help but are not getting it from the state. Waiting lists are not allowed under federal law, she said.
(Photo from Las Vegas Sun)
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December 17th, 2008 at 4:25 am
You’d think a few of the cuts that provide even a few simple luxuries to some of the top state officials could have been cut in order to provide help and resources to these families and children. You’d think they could have found somewhere else to cut.