Released May 15, the California state budget was shown to have been revised by Governor Newsom to include the proposed elimination of CBAS as Medi-Cal benefits, along with other devastating cuts to health and human services.

Community Based Adult Services (CBAS) is an essential health program that protects the
very people who are most at risk from COVID-19 because of their age and underlying health conditions.

About 92% of people who have died of COVID-19 in L.A. county had underlying health conditions. In eight weeks of shelter-at-home, nurses, social workers and other CBAS health care team members have sprung into action to meet the emergency needs of older adults with chronic conditions: 
1)  Provided 972,000 contacts to meet the needs of these 36,000 vulnerable seniors along with 73,000 caregivers, many of whom are elderly and disabled 
2)  Conducted more than 324,000 COVID-19 screenings

Governor Newsom urged Californians to “keep staying home...” and in his April 3rd daily
briefing called on CBAS to protect our most vulnerable and fragile population from the
effects of COVID-19. CBAS was at the ready: 
‒ Center teams, participants and families rapidly responded.
‒ CBAS transformed overnight to keep people safe in their homes and connected to vital CBAS health and social services.

As the Governor recognized, CBAS is an essential Medi-Cal service. There are no services to replace CBAS. Once eliminated it will not recover. Imagine having to put your loved one in a nursing home because you are without help while caregiving during this pandemic. Over one-third of the COVID-19 deaths in California have been residents of nursing homes.CBAS teams are saving lives by keeping people out of overwhelmed nursing homes while supporting their mental and physical health during this COVID-19 emergency.

Eliminating CBAS affects ALL generations. As the economy opens up, families returning to work need CBAS to keep their loved ones safe.

PLEASE vote to keep CBAS available to this vulnerable population.