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General News: Hines Says He's Backing Valley View
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| Kevin Hines |
December 12, 2011
By Charlie B. Scirbona
The future of the Valley View nursing home will be at stake this Wednesday when the Orange County legislature tries to override the county executive’s veto of funding of the county-owned facility for all of next year. Orange County Ed Diana used his line item veto power to nix the deal in the 2012 budget, a move that cuts the nursing home’s funding in half, for just six months of 2012.
Kevin Hines, a Republican who represents most of Cornwall, says that he plans to break rank with his fellow Republicans and vote in favor of the override.
Hines says he voted to fund Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation in November out of concern for the center’s residents. That vote put the year-long funding for the nursing home into the 2012 budget, only to be vetoed weeks later.
“It has to be funded for a whole year otherwise, come July 1 they close the doors and wheel the patients into the street. I am not going to let that happen on my watch,” Hines said. He added that while the vote ended up being 19-2, Hines was part of the initial group of seven Democrats and four Republicans to support the additional funding.
According to Hines, the center loses around $19.5 million a year and he understands the concern about funding such a costly place. However, he pointed out that the legislature authorized a study on how to find savings in the center and he’d like to see the results of that study considered further before completely cutting off the center.
Hines said he couldn’t speak for any other legislators, but thinks that there are currently 12 votes to override the veto. The legislature needs at least 14, but Hines said he thinks they’ll get the votes.
“It’s an absolute requirement to fund the center for the whole year,” he said.
Cornwall's other county representative, Democrat Chris Eachus, has been a staunch supporter of keeping Valley View open. .
Comments:
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Why aren't other County departments being asked to cut back? OC can build a dysfunctional County Building which needs to be replaced already, but they can't provide care for the ill and aged? Perhaps Mr Diana will move the residents out himself on June 30, and then move all the County operations into the facility and save building a new structure as well as prevent a local organization from buying that property and putting high-density housing on it. That, however, doesn't help the 100 or so employees, or the residents.
posted by Jennifer McCabe on 12/12/11 at 11:09 AM
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