One hundred and sixty-five years

Since its humble start in 1860, when a Lutheran pastor began caring for orphans in his east Toledo home, Genacross Lutheran Services has developed into a provider of essential services to thousands of people in every phase of life throughout northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.Adaptability, resourcefulness, and responsiveness to community needs have made this faith-based organization one of the area’s leading nonprofit social service agencies. In my conversation with Genacross president and CEO, Rick Marshall, the organization’s intentional focus of caring for both the body and soul of those in need was a consistent theme. As you can see, this is a mission that brings him an infectious joy!Importantly, like almost all agencies that provide assisted living, medical care or counseling to those with limited resources, Medicaid plays a huge role in the ability of Genacross to support young and old alike with these vital services.A quarter of a million people in the greater Toledo area receive Medicaid benefits. That’s one-third of the area’s entire population — and in many cases, those benefits come in the form of care from social service agencies like Genacross. Nevertheless, even at the current levels of funding, Medicaid does not fully cover the cost of eligible care by Genacross and many other such agencies.These agencies must make up the gap between the cost of care and Medicaid reimbursements through other means. In this week’s podcast, Rick shares how Genacross manages for growth while sustaining their quality of care — despite incurring a loss on every Medicaid beneficiary — thanks to community fundraising efforts and careful administration of resources.But what will happen to people in their care if cuts to Medicaid mean these funds are no longer available?So much of what government does for us as citizens goes wholly unnoticed unless it stops. When the roads fall into disrepair, or the trash isn’t collected, or our water becomes undrinkable, we suddenly come face to face with how important the wise administration of government resources truly is.Without Medicaid funding, older adults who cannot afford market-rate housing, assisted living or more intensive forms of care may find those services become difficult to access or totally unavailable — and many such people do not have family members capable of providing for their needs. Children without parents or stable homes and who lack the essential elements of life could face serious limitations to their ability to thrive. People without options in these circumstances will find their way to more expensive forms of intervention — hospital ERs and the justice system being the two most likely paths.My conversation with Rick Marshall reinforced my sense that providing for the needs of such people isn’t a “nanny state” intrusion — it’s a vital responsibility of every community. That responsibility currently is being met through successful collaborations between private entities and government. If you want to sustain a system that supports responsible, cost-effective use of public and private resources to make a better life for everyone in our communities, visit house.gov now for information on how make your opinions known about proposed cuts to Medicaid in the current federal funding bill.Your Community Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Your Community Matters at yourcommunitymatters.substack.com/subscribe