San Mateo County elder abuse watchdog loses state funding
By Shaun Bishop
San Mateo Daily News
10/13/2008
The ombudsman program that investigates elder abuse in San Mateo County is facing an uncertain future after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed $3.8 million for statewide services, officials said.
Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County is projected to lose approximately $100,000 in state funding as a result of the governor's line item veto, said Sarah Ludeman, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Aging.
Local officials say that the 20 percent hit to its $500,000 budget, which also is funded by local and federal sources, threatens the crucial oversight the program provides for more than 9,000 seniors in nearly 500 long-term care facilities countywide.
The program investigates about 2,000 complaints a year, 300 to 350 of them involving elder abuse. It also does random inspections of facilities.
Erwin said she hopes that the program's 30th anniversary fundraiser Oct. 24 will help ease some of the blow from the cuts.
"We will survive," she said, "but I'm not sure how."
For more information about the fundraiser or volunteering, visit http://www.ossmc.org/.
Abridged
SOURCE: Inside Bay Area
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