Why Medicaid matters
I am an 11th generation Kentuckian. I was born into a family with a rare genetic disorder. We didn't have Medicaid, my dad worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week to make sure we had Blue Cross/ Blue Shied for their medical expenses.
My sister & brother were placed on a waiting list for Frankfort State Hospital in the 60's. They were not allowed to attend church or school and lived in the shadows of the community with no supports available. In the mid 70's they were placed at Hazelwood in Louisville, KY. After being there a short time my sister tragically died while unattended by restraint and asphyxiation. Her records indicated she was put in restraints on a daily basis for hours on end. The pictures show her face bruised with black eyes.
There were other deaths at Hazelwood around that time. There was an investigation but nothing came of it. This left lifelong trauma on our family creating generational/historical trauma.
After Alice died, my brother, Jeff was moved to Oakwood in Somerset, KY. He attended school and had foster grandparents who took him for outings. Eventually, as laws changed and times moved away from institutional care, he was able to return to his community in N. KY and have a good standard of care and lifestyle.
When I was at the dedication of Frankfort State Hospital Cemetery historical marker, where 400 lay in unmarked graves, that live there. The nurse who had worked there made the comment of her concern of us going back to institutionalization. There are 4400 buried in a mass grave at Eastern State.
I work on the preservation of the institutions and there are thousands in unmarked graves who were in the institutions in Kentucky. We will never know the exact number but is in the range of 10,000.
We are still waiting on the apology from the state for all those maimed and killed while in institutions.
The cost of institutionalization and nursing home care is more expensive than living in the community with supports.
We have people in personal care homes and nursing homes who are trying to move back into their communities.
We have thousands are on waiting lists for waivers.
We have Senator McConnell overcoming Polio as a child using public health care to be able to walk again, yet he has our brothers and sisters arrested for protesting.
Open Secrets reports that he has ties to the nursing home industry as well as pharma. that he will profit off cutting Medicaid and hurting the citizens of Kentucky.
With over 874000 in Kentucky with disabilities, we have a voice. We must all come to the table and work together to protect the most vulnerable in Kentucky. Together we are a force to be reckoned with, our stories are important and our voices will be heard at the voting booth.