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County approves emergency contracts after two home‑care agencies announce closures
Summary
Saratoga County authorized short‑term contracts with Accent Home Care and Fort Hudson Home Care after two local agencies — Greater Adirondack and Wesley Home Care — said they would stop providing services, leaving about 19 clients in need of continuity of care.
Saratoga County’s Health and Human Services committee voted Tuesday to authorize short‑term contracts with Accent Home Care and Fort Hudson Home Care after two local home‑care providers notified the county they were going out of business. The moves are intended to preserve in‑home care for dozens of older residents while the county and providers arrange longer‑term coverage.
The committee’s Aging and Youth Services representative, Sandy Hara, said Greater Adirondack will stop operating “as of August 31,” and that the county also learned by telephone that Wesley Home Care was going out of business. “There’s a host of reasons,” Hara said, and she told the committee she had done “a lot of homework” on the problem and the pending transitions.
The decisions aim to limit disruption for clients currently receiving services. Hara said Greater Adirondack had about 19 clients remaining; some clients have been moved into the Medicaid long‑term system. She told the committee that Fort Hudson Home Care has agreed to take on Greater Adirondack’s aides and to allow clients a “seamless transition.”
The committee authorized the chair to sign a contract with Accent Home Care at a raised hourly rate: the county is currently paying $35 per hour; Accent agreed to $38 per hour through Dec. 31 and requested $42 per hour for Jan. 1–March 31 (the state fiscal year). Hara said Accent cannot guarantee immediate staff availability because aides are in short supply.
Committee members also approved an agreement with Fort Hudson Home Care on the same term. No individual motion makers or seconders were named in the transcript for these specific motions; both items were put to a vote and passed with the committee chair calling “Aye.”
Hara attributed part of the broader market disruption to changes in administration of the consumer‑directed personal care program, saying that administrative funds were moved to an out‑of‑state company and that “people are losing the aides” as a result. She also said there are “numerous lawsuits” related to the changes but did not provide case names or filings during the meeting.
The committee asked Hara to return with an update on the transition. Hara said she plans to present contract recommendations for the next state fiscal year to the committee in February, when her department’s ISEP contracts are usually brought forward.
The committee’s approvals are short‑term measures to maintain services through March 31, pending budget and staffing decisions for the next fiscal year.
