Adult day care funding options studied

YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County officials are scrambling to find temporary funding to keep the county health department’s adult day care center from closing next Wednesday due to a $60,000 shortfall in operating money.

Diana M. Colaianni, director of nursing at the county health department, said county officials are hoping for “bridge funding,” perhaps from the county’s general fund, to keep the center at 2801 Market St. functioning through the summer until participants can apply and qualify for Medicaid to pay for their enrollment in the center. Private funding sources would also be sought, she said.

“We are still hopeful that we can either collaborate or the commissioners can help us just to get through even this summer, and hopefully then, our other funding would kick in,” she said. “We want (the program) to be self-sustaining. We know we need to be. The board of health cannot continue to subsidize the program.”

County Commissioner John McNally said he and Commissioner Anthony Traficanti have asked Administrator George Tablack to explore other funding sources, including the general fund, to try to bankroll the center through year’s end. The general fund is the county’s main operating fund.

“It’s the health department’s responsibility to keep it open. We’re going to try to make some decisions here in the next week. Hopefully, we’ll keep it open, but there’s nothing definite,” McNally said.

Read more in Friday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com