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Finding Care In A State Of Fiscal Uncertainty

As Connecticut lawmakers continue to try and work out a new two-year budget, the parents of children and adults with developmental disabilities worry about the services they might lose.

This hour, we hear from these families and learn what’s at stake.

We also talk with a pediatric ER doctor about why emergency departments are still overrun with young patients. We dig into the story of one mother whose autistic son spent more than one month in the emergency room.

Are you the parent or family member of someone with an intellectual or developmental disability? Are you concerned that budget cuts will leave your loved one without the services he or she needs?

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Steve Rogers - Medical Director of the emergency department’s behavioral health unit at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
  • Michelle Ahern - West Hartford Resident, mother of a son with autism
  • Tom Fiorentino - Board President of The Arc Connecticut
  • Velma Williams-Estes - Meriden resident, caregiver for a daughter with down syndrome
  • Laura Fucci - Milford Resident, mother of a daughter with autism

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Chion Wolf contributed to this show.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.