Thursday, January 04, 2007
Revisiting ARC of Rock Island County
In a previous post I mentioned that Rep. Boland was due to tour the ARC facility in Rock Island on January 3, 2006. That visit was a great success, and two of our local television stations showed up to cover Mike's visit. I wasn't able to monitor 6pm news coverage because I was in transit to visit my mom in Blue Grass, but I did see at least one station giving Rep. Boland coverage at 10 PM.
Boland is now considering sponsoring legislation on behalf of ARC of Rock Island County's parent affiliate, ARC of Illinois. No one would accuse the workers who assist the disabled of being overpaid, in fact it's been several years since they've had any kind of significant funding/salary increases from the state. We also learned that the health care coverage offered to most of these workers leaves a lot to be desired.
At Boland's office, we are now looking for ways to improve that situation. In the last legislative session, Boland passed legislation to help workers at Child Advocacy Centers access state health care insurance, so we are looking at the possibility of something similar on behalf of ARC of Illinois. We'll also be working to see if it's possible to get these workers a well deserved COLA.
I know it’s a tough job working as the caregiver for any individual who is disabled, and I’d imagine that individuals who are developmentally disabled present very unique challenges. I also know workers who help the developmentally disabled are making a real difference in the lives of their clients, hopefully we’ll succeed in making a difference in the lives of those workers.
Boland is now considering sponsoring legislation on behalf of ARC of Rock Island County's parent affiliate, ARC of Illinois. No one would accuse the workers who assist the disabled of being overpaid, in fact it's been several years since they've had any kind of significant funding/salary increases from the state. We also learned that the health care coverage offered to most of these workers leaves a lot to be desired.
At Boland's office, we are now looking for ways to improve that situation. In the last legislative session, Boland passed legislation to help workers at Child Advocacy Centers access state health care insurance, so we are looking at the possibility of something similar on behalf of ARC of Illinois. We'll also be working to see if it's possible to get these workers a well deserved COLA.
I know it’s a tough job working as the caregiver for any individual who is disabled, and I’d imagine that individuals who are developmentally disabled present very unique challenges. I also know workers who help the developmentally disabled are making a real difference in the lives of their clients, hopefully we’ll succeed in making a difference in the lives of those workers.
