By Gema G. Hernández, former Secretary Florida Department of Elder Affairs

As Hurricane Ivan gets closer to our shores, I have become increasingly concerned with the resources elders, victims of the two previous Hurricanes, are getting, or better yet, are not getting from our government. This concern is increasing despite a very well publicized President Bush speech in all major national news media promising 2 billion dollars to the State to help rebuilt not only communities but also lives in the impacted areas. President Bush’s prompt action and financial support is deeply appreciated, but while the 2 billion appears to be a significant amount to deal with the challenges facing families, individuals with disabilities and children, it is not clear what percentage of the allocation will go to provide emergency assistance to individuals and what percentage of the allocation will go to private corporations, both for profit and not for profit entities operating in the impacted areas.

Victims of both Hurricanes regardless of age are still facing the trauma of rebuilding their lives and paying for the insurance deductible, a deductible that in some cases is as high as $6,500 and in other cases applies twice because each hurricane is considered a separate occurrence. As I read the headlines I wonder what percentage of the 2 billion is going to go to individual victims to help them cope with their personal financial tragedies. Or how many of these victims have no insurance and therefore no way of recovering what they have lost. Would poor elders get personal financial assistance from the 2 billion dollars?

The information coming from the Department of Elder Affairs indicates they have asked $200,000 from the Administration on Aging to provide services to the victims of Hurricane Charley and $500,000 for the victims of Hurricane Frances. These amounts represent less than 0.015% of the 2 billion dollars promised to the state. The disparity is so great that it forces us to wonder as to how did the department determine $700,000 to be enough to address a variety of needs particularly because 23% of the population in Florida is elders and by default this means 23% of individual impacted are elders. A simple math could tell us that due to the fact that 23% of the population is elders, 23% of the 2 billion should be allocated to support services to elders.

In areas like Port Charlotte the percentage of elders is as high as 60% therefore the $200,000 is barely enough to cover one month of meals and transportation and is not enough to cover housing. But Port Charlotte is not the only area impacted by Charley. This means the $200,000 the Department has requested would have to be spread to other areas to address the need of elders in Arcadia, Ft Myers Beach, and Orlando just to mention some of the other areas impacted by Charley.

The same applies to the $500,000 requested to cover the needs of elders affected by Frances. It can be said that 60 out of the 67 counties in Florida were impacted by Frances. This means that $500,000 requested translates to only $8,334 dollars per affected county. $8,334 is not enough to help elderly victims with food, housing, transportation and health care. This amount covers one week of services for 35 individuals let alone hundreds of elders for months before life returns back to normal. I am sure elders appreciate everything they get, but regardless of how tough they are and how much they have endured, the depression, 2 world wars, and Korea they should be given a bigger piece of the 2 billion to cover their losses. This is our opportunity to repay them for the country they have created for us. Let us not fail them.

If the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services, the umbrella organization under which the Administration on Aging is administratively located, can spend 87 million dollars in advertisement, $700,000 is just the equivalent of what it will cost them to produce one T.V. ad promoting the Bush Administration’s Medicare Modernization Act, a T.V. ad that may be in violation of campaign protocols. Why not stop the Medicare campaign in Florida and divert some of the dollars to help frail elders? Even the 7 million Secretary White is “thinking” of requesting is not even 10% of 87 million they spent on advertisement.

After all is said and done the Red Cross deserves recognition and funding. Why not give some of the 2 billion to the American Red Cross to help them cope with the financial demands placed on the organization by the shelters, the food and the emergency supplies. The Red Cross should not be begging for donations when there is a pocket of dollars available to deal with the same services they are providing for us. The American Red Cross is a private not for profit entity therefore it can be considered part of the privatization of government functions initiative.

As I patiently wait for Ivan I continue to wonder where the 2 billion dollars will go, and who if any one individual not a corporation, not an agency will truly see the benefits of such a magnificent gift. Be safe.