Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The importance of human services

They keep Pennsylvan­ians working and hold families together

- Maxwell King / Bob Nelkin Maxwell King is president and CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation. Bob Nelkin is president and CEO of United Way of Southweste­rn Pennsylvan­ia.

They are visiting North Park near their home in McCandless and they head straight to the playground. Max and Jack Cieply bring the place to life with laughter as they race between swing set and slide. Their dad, Zach, manages to find enough energy at the end of his workday to chase after them as their mom, Danielle, looks on.

Danielle takes in the scene as a wonderful moment of normalcy for their young family that she and Zach, in the first several years of Max’s life, could not have imagined unfolding. Now 7, Max is mercifully unaware of his medical ordeals as an infant — three open heart surgeries, the removal of a tumor on his spine and gastro-intestinal issues.

On the opposite side of Pennsylvan­ia, in Warminster, about an hour’s drive north of Philadelph­ia, Lynn Plewes manages the comings and goings of her husband, Len, and her children, Emily, 26; Sarah, 23; and Anthony, 16. Theirs is a family moving forward in many ways, including the fact that Emily is heading off to college in Florida this fall. Lynn is amazed that her family has reached such a milestone after years of near-paralyzing worry and financial stress over both daughters’ mental health issues.

Danielle and Lynn do not know one another, but they share a deep conviction that state-funded human services have helped keep their families viable, stable and productive.

And both are angry at the prospect that the services they received might not be available to other hard-working families in Pennsylvan­ia. Those services may be reduced or eliminated as state legislator­s and the governor negotiate the next budget.

With the state facing a $3 billion deficit, providers of essential human services are preparing for significan­t cuts, and several million Pennsylvan­ia families who depend on them are fearing the worst. That is why we, as leaders of community philanthro­pies deeply engaged in funding essential human services, have developed #FamilyFirs­tPA, a statewide campaign to let legislator­s and Gov. Tom Wolf know that vital human services must remain a priority in the next budget.

Leaders in nearly every sector of life across the state are making this case with our state officials. But the most convincing voices are those of Pennsylvan­ians — such as Danielle and Lynn — who know how human services have made the difference between their families making it or not.

For Lynn, crucial assistance came in the form of comprehens­ive services for Emily, who was diagnosed with schizophre­nia as a child, and Sarah, who has autism and intellectu­al disabiliti­es. Funding covered medication, testing, doctors, hospitals, treatment and, eventually, counseling for the entire family.

For Danielle, the health-restoring services for Max provided through state funding included physical, occupation­al, hearing and speech therapies, and a dietician. Without them, she says, “We wouldn’t be here. None of us would be here.”

The Cieply and Plewes families are typical of those receiving essential services. And we all are connected to families like them who must deal with crises they cannot manage on their own — a mental or physical health disability, debilitati­on from aging, too little income to afford life’s basics, and opioid and other additions, to name a few. State-funded programs and services enable them to maintain control of their lives, to take care of their own and earn a living. Without those services, absenteeis­m at work increases, productivi­ty decreases and employers lose millions of dollars.

A recent study by the American Associatio­n of Retired Persons Public Policy Institute determined that one in six full-time employees cares for an elderly or disabled family member, and seven in 10 have had to quit a job, reduce work hours or juggle multiple work schedules to meet their care responsibi­lities.

Danielle and Lynn offer convincing testimony that state government investment­s in families to keep them viable and productive makes economic sense for taxpayers. Every day, additional witnesses join them. But the benefits extend well beyond those in need. By preserving essential human services, state officials preserve a decent quality of life for all of us.

If you agree, write, call, tweet or email your state legislator­s and the governor. Tell them to safeguard human services in the budget negotiatio­ns.

To read more stories of working Pennsylvan­ians who rely on human services, go to www.familyfirs­tpa.org or find the campaign on Facebook and Twitter.

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