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Rock the Arc raises funds under new leadership

Scott Stiles, the new CEO of the Adirondack Arc will focus on its finances by fund raising at the Rock the Arc rock show Aug. 12. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Cerbone)

TUPPER LAKE — The Adirondack Arc will hold its annual Rock the Arc fundraiser Aug. 12, bringing bands to the Tupper Lake Municipal Park while raising funds to keep its operations going.

The nonprofit organization is funded 95 percent through Medicaid and uses the event to cover shortfalls in funding from the state.

“With the Medicaid cuts that we were seeing over the last few years, we thought it would be good to supplement our income,” new Chief Executive Officer Scott Stiles said in an interview Monday.

Stiles began the CEO job on July 1 but has experience working with the organization’s budget as he was its chief financial officer since 2005. Sadie Spada, the Arc’s executive director and CEO since its earliest days, retired this year after 41 years on the job.

Children’s Corner

This year, the funds raised through Rock the Arc will be used toward the organization’s Children’s Corner preschool program. There has been financial stress on the program because of the practices of the state departments in charge of funding the Arc. The preschool program is funded by the state Education Department, which uses three-year-old data to determine funding. This means currently, the preschool program is surviving on reserves in the bank while the SED funds it based on 2014-15 expenses.

Preschool is also funded at a per-child rate. When attendance went down last year, the funding decreased though the need for it did not.

“If it gets cut in half because we have six children instead of 12, our expenses still stay the same,” Stiles said. “We still have to pay the teachers who are there. We still have to pay the substitute teachers. We still have to pay for the utilities and the classroom.”

Trying to give raises

The state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities and Department of Health adjust Medicaid reimbursement rates to only give out funding for the amount the Arc is spending.

“What happens is there is no room for growth,” Stiles said. “In other words, if you have any surpluses, it is actually held against you.”

This process, known as “rate rationalization,” began three to four years ago and causes problems in the Arc’s employee retention and hiring attempts. When the Arc has a surplus of funds, it can give employees raises; however, when it is receiving just enough to keep operating at the same price as it has, raises are not possible. The Adirondack Arc has more than 350 employees, and the state’s minimum wage is increasing above many of these workers’ pay grade..

To work within the system, Arc is using reserves to fund preschool while trying to secure higher reimbursement rates in the future.

“If you have reserves in the bank account, what you do is spend more than you currently have and are being reimbursed for, hoping that your rates will get adjusted upward in the future,” Stiles said.

Stiles said his focus as the new leader for Arc is on recruitment and ending staff shortages in Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. By offering $250 recruitment and retention bonuses, he’s showing he wants to get people in the door and keep them.

Retaining direct care employees may be easier thanks to the success of the BFair2DirectCare campaign, which this spring resulted in $55 million in the state budget to bring direct care workers’ wages up to what will soon be the minimum wage. These raises will come in January and April of 2018.

Housing

With over 100 individuals in its care voluntarily, the Arc screens potential candidates before placing them in one of its group homes, which each house two to 11 people. It works with the state-run Sunmount facility on this screening.

“We want the person to be successful, and we don’t want the people who work for us to feel threatened,” Stiles said.

Opening two new homes in Malone next year, Stiles wants to keep the Arc growing despite rates being cut.

“We are one of the few chapters that continue to try to grow because I feel that if we are not growing, if we are not moving forward, then we are just going to fall behind,” Stiles said. “With rate rationalization and our rates being cut, we can’t afford to stay still.”

Rock the Arc

Starting at noon, Rock the Arc will have inflatables for the kids, food and beer, jousting and a fireworks show when the event draws to a close at 9.

The band lineup includes Massena’s Atom Ghost and local bands Hammer Lok and Ben & Jay. Returning for another year is Flame, a 10-person cover band that advocates for people with disabilities as members themselves have autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, blindness and paralysis.

“Flame’s mission is to change the world through music,” their website flametheband.com says, “They inspire people with disabilities and give hope to them and their families — hope that they can do great things and live a fun and fulfilling life.”

A “500 Club” raffle, in its fifth year running, will raise around $50,000 for the Arc. Each ticket costs $100, and $18,000 will be awarded in 14 cash prizes. First place receives $10,000, second place gets $4,000, third and fourth each get $1,000, and 10 other winners receive $200 apiece. The Arc will announce the winners during the festivities at the rock stage at the ball field.

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