For two decades without government wage increases, the Birth to Three program has suffered from labor shortages

When Kay and Jeremy Rutkowski brought a little girl home from the hospital in 2021, they were told she would never walk.

A social worker referred the parents, who lived in Inwood, West Virginia, to Birth to threea free program that provides a range of home-based services for people with developmental delays.

There were weekly physical and occupational therapy sessions and a $17,000 device provided free of charge to the family that eventually helped Lizzie, now two and a half, take her first steps.

“We had a living room full of equipment – all kinds of walkers and seats. We wouldn’t have had any of that without Birth to Three,” said Kay Rutkowski. “Without Birth to Three, Lizzie wouldn’t be able to walk, roll over or crawl.”

Birth to Three has a According to a spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Health, the number of children receiving care has increased by 15% over the past eight years.

While demand has increased, pay for birth to three-year-old care professionals has not increased. The quota for children aged 0 to three was last increased in 2003.

Because the program relies on federal disability funding, it cannot turn children away. If a therapist isn’t available, children may be constrained to virtual-only therapy, which can be challenging for little ones who need lend a hand learning to eat, talk or crawl.

“For the first time, we see that it affects families – not just us,” said Nicole Sergent. a pediatric physical therapist in Martinsburg who works with Birth to Three. “In many regions there are not enough providers or there are no providers at all. [Children] Are unable to receive all the services they need.”

Amid Governor Jim Justice’s repeated calls for a flat budget – and his touting of an $826 million Budget surplus — Legislators trimmed The state health care budget was viewed as an attempt to understand what the money was being spent on, according to Republican leaders.

Practitioners interviewed for this article said it is hard to recruit and retain staff because of wages, which range from $17 to $38 per 15 minutes depending on the specialty, and they pay for their own gas to drive home to families.

“There have been no cost of living increases for 21 years,” said Wendy Altizer. Owner of Milestones Physical Therapy, which has clinics in Putnam County.”We must be able to survive and raise our children just like everyone else in the labor market.”

Sergeant added: “If a practitioner gets $100 for a personal interview, [appointment] now they have to be paid $165 for living expenses.”

Birth to Three currently employs 850 professionals serving children and families across the state.

Not every state has a free program like this, which can be particularly critical since West Virginia has the highest rate prenatal drug exposure. The exposes these children to a higher risk for a variety of physical and mental disabilities.

Cindy Chamberlin is a physical therapist for birth to three years in Beckley. She is president of To the moon and backa nonprofit organization that supports families and children with substance operate disorders.

“The children are better off the sooner we intervene,” she said. “If we are not careful, Children will not find work because we do not support them and their families.”

Wage increases could require a mandate from the legislature

Birth to three years 8,277 children In 2022, according to the latest available data from the Ministry of Health.

“[West Virginia] “Birth to Three is fortunate to have access to multiple funding sources to provide early intervention services,” Gailyn Markham, a spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Health, said in an email. “Through an interagency agreement, West Virginia Birth to Three’s services for Medicaid-eligible children are paid for by Medicaid, which represents an estimated 60% of the children served annually.”

The state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funded the services for the children covered by the program. Federal funds for disability assistance also went into the program.

“In addition, the annual allocation in the state budget for fiscal year 2025 is $9,291,855,” Markham said. Health Department leadership has unsuccessfully requested millions of dollars more for the program while lawmakers review their budget, Mountain State Spotlight reported.

Sergent stressed that the program saves the state money when children receive services at a teenage age and sometimes no longer need long-term specialized lend a hand.

“I am sure that without our service these students would have [Individual Education Program],” She said.

Markham said the Ministry of Health is considering a possible change in reimbursement rates for children from birth to three years of age.

“Any reimbursement adjustment may require a request to the state legislature for additional funding or policy changes to support implementation once the cost analysis is complete,” she wrote.

Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) said she was unable to persuade other lawmakers to prioritize increasing rates for the program during the regular session. wrapped up March.

She has a personal connection to Birth to Three: two of her children have benefited from the program.

“It has made a huge difference for my children. It has been 100% positive…The support that Birth to Three provides for children with all kinds of disabilities and special needs is critical,” Rucker said. “In my area in particular, we cannot retain caregivers because salaries are already very low in the area where I live.”

The Like Rucker, the Rutkowskis live in the Eastern Panhandle – one of the only grow areas in terms of population.

“It would be nice if the governor would take the money [tax revenues] to improve infrastructure and enhance birth to three rates,” said Jeremy Rutkowski. “New neighborhoods have been built all over the Eastern Panhandle, but no infrastructure. Birth to three is part of that infrastructure.”

“It’s kind of disgusting that children who need help are being put on the back burner in West Virginia and everything else is being put first,” said Kay Rutkowski.

A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to an email about this story.

Rucker believed the governor’s surplus should not be used to fund a wage enhance. He said a pay raise should not be tied to one-year funding.

“Frankly, unfortunately, I feel that the Ministry of Health is not going to prioritise the salaries of the people who provide these services until we earn them,” she said. “They have cut the salaries of the [Child Protective Services] employees until we passed a law that forced them to do so. I’m against micromanagement, but I think this is the only way it’s going to happen.”

“Nobody stands up for us”

The Rutkowskis adopted Lizzie, whom they affectionately called “Lizard.”

Her daughter, diagnosed with autism, is still learning to speak and recently began using a $9,000 communications device provided to her free of charge by Birth to Three.

“Developmentally, she’s at a level she reached at 11 months or a year when she’s almost 3 years old. She still has a lot of work to do,” explained Kay Rutkowski. “She may be developmentally behind, but then we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

Altizer, who has worked with Birth to Three for 21 years, said the program’s biggest goal is to give hope to families like the Rutkowskis.

“We are quietly doing the work that makes a difference,” she said.

Chamberlin added: “Caring for these children is a matter of the heart for us and we have somehow forgotten to take care of ourselves and no one is standing up for us.”