Cayuga Health Association, Inc.
A Brief History
Many changes have occurred over the years; the name has been changed and the focus has been redirected many times, but always toward meeting the health needs of the community.
First organized in 1909, the Cayuga County Committee on tuberculosis and public health promoted and sold Christmas seals to provide funds to educate the public regarding tuberculosis and its eradication among young and old. This was accomplished by mass chest x-rays in mobile units, TB testing of people and cattle, campaigns to pasteurize milk and stop expectorating in public places.
In 1923 the County Board of Supervisors gave in to the organization’s constant urging and appropriated money for the first county health nurse.
In 1926 the Association hired a Physical Therapist to work with TB patients at the City’s Sunnycrest Hospital and a nutritionist to work with the welfare officers throughout the County as well as individual families. Its patient services committee worked at Herman Biggs TB Hospital, Onondaga Sanitarium and Mt. Morris TB Hospital, plus a rehabilitation committee was established to work further with discharged patients.
By 1927 enough public interest was shown for "mental defectives" that members of another special committee regularly visited county patients at Willard State Hospital. In 1955 the county supervisors appointed a Mental Health Board - again after much urging from our Association.
By 1930 tuberculin testing and health surveys were being done annually among the school population.
In 1937 a two-day syphilis conference resulted in a permanent Social Hygiene Committee being formed. In 1943 a nurse was hired by the Association to work in Cayuga County’s Migrant Camps. (The County Department of Health wasn’t formed until 20 years later, in 1963).
In 1949, Cayuga Health Association, Inc. became a private, not-for-profit corporation.
In the 1950’s great emphasis was placed on the high incidence of heart disease. This led the Association to incorporate to include the American Heart Association. For the first five years the heart program was subsidized by voluntary gifts from Christmas Seal sales but soon more money had to be raised. Volunteers were recruited to conduct the Annual Heart Fund Campaign. Programs supported were the Edgewater Health Camp for youngsters, a Rheumatic Fever Program, heart teaching days for nurses, diabetic detection drives, research and tuition grants for doctors and nurses, scholarships for students pursuing health careers and purchase of special equipment for our community’s hospital use.
The Cayuga Health Association, Inc. was the first in New York State to support a Rheumatic Fever Clinic, set up in Auburn Memorial Hospital.
In 1953, a Penicillin Program providing free medication for needy youngsters was added.
During 1964-65, over 70 half hour radio programs, "Panorama of Health" were aired over WMBO - mostly interviews with professionals in the health field. This impressive list of accomplishments was possible because people gave freely of themselves and their dollars and were not contained by government rules and restrictions, they moved ahead with innovative programs, always mindful of the best utilization of every voluntary dollar.
But in the late 1960’s the trend toward regionalization shook the Association as first the Heart Program moved to Syracuse and later the TB-Rd Program joined with the Rochester area. The Cayuga Health Association’s Board of Directors made the bold decision to remain as a local agency, to re-organize and explore unmet health needs of the community.
It was in 1969 when the Board of Directors voted to start a Meals on Wheels service and on September 8th the first 9 clients received their hot dinners, delivered by volunteers. Also, five years later, in 1974, the federally funded Senior Nutrition Program became the Association’s second meal service operation. Nationwide the Nutrition Program has been described as one of the federal government’s most successful ventures. Its purpose goes beyond the meal to include other health and informational services, social activities and opportunities designed to help older persons improve the quality of their lives.
When consolidation of titles under the older American Act became mandatory in 1980, our agency’s role changed from the local sponsor of the Title III C Nutrition Program to one of sub-contractor with Cayuga County Office for the Aging (OFA). Another agreement with the OFA provided avenues for both Meals On Wheels and the Nutrition Program to obtain USDA Commodity Cash to supplement form Title III B (OAA) and NYS Community Services for Elderly provide moneys for partial assistance in the payment of home care services for eligible persons. All of these programs are administered by the NYSOFA and local OFA with our agency responsible for provision of service and supervision.
In September of 1979, after 6 years of discussion, the Association organized Home Aides Service - again responding to community needs. The primary purpose of forming a central pool of home aides was to meet other agencies’ clients' and individual needs for qualified persons to perform home care services. For the first time, individuals not covered by Medicare or Medicaid could privately contract for aide services with our nurses or field service coordinators supervising home care. Contractual agreements were made with both the Cayuga County Departments of Social Services and Health to provide home health aides and homemakers to work under the supervision of their public health nurses or case workers. Since then our contracts have expanded to include the Office for the Aging Expanded In-home Services for the Elderly Program (EISEP) and Hospice of the Fingerlakes. We achieved licensure in 1986, being recognized as a Licensed Home Health Agency by the New York State Health Department (NYSHD. In 1987, in order to meet the shortage of home health care workers and growing demand for services, Home Aides Service developed and implemented a Home Health Aide Training Course approved by the NYSHD.
We also expanded the Food Services Program to include the Skaneateles and Jordan-Elbridge Meals on Wheels and Senior Nutrition Programs, the Alzheimer’s Day Care Center, the Mercy Rehab. Apartments, and the USDA Summer Meal Program for Genoa, Cato, Weedsport, and Union Springs area residents.
Currently we are providing over 60,000 hours of home health care and 130,000 meals yearly to the community. Meeting those needs has been our purpose for the part 80 years and will continue to be our focus for the future.
In 1992, again responding to community needs, A local Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) was established called Link To Life. We contracted A contract with GTL, Inc., Link to Life of Horseheads, New York was established and they supply our clients with units that, with a bush of a button help is on the way, 24 hours a day. This system helps clients to remain in their own homes for as long as it is safe to do so.
Our housing needs were met in 1993 by constructing a 5,500 square foot building at 8 Hulbert Street that contains all of our programs. Financing was due to the generosity of the local Foundations, the community by fund raisers, and a grant from the State Office for the Aging.
In 1997, responding to community needs, The Link Program was established (two units) with funding from the Kiwanis Club of Auburn. These units are for battered women in the community. They are provided with a unit (hidden) that has a silent alarm, and upon the push of a button help from the local police is dispatched. At the present time we are looking for funding to expand the program to service more of our battered women in the community.
Cayuga Health Association, Inc. continues to assess and evaluate the health care needs of the community to see what it can do to help.