Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Long Term Care Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents and volunteers urge Fulton County to increase funding for Sadie G. Mays nursing home
Summary
Multiple speakers at Fulton County's Oct. 1 meeting urged commissioners to increase the renewable grant to Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehab Center, citing low Medicaid reimbursement, a decades‑old grant level and building needs.
Several residents, volunteers and civic‑group representatives used the Oct. 1 public‑comment period at the Fulton County Board of Commissioners meeting to press for increased county funding for Sadie G. Mays Health and Rehab Center.
Lede: Speakers told commissioners that Sadie G. Mays, a nonprofit long‑term care facility that serves primarily low‑income residents, faces chronic funding shortfalls tied to low Medicaid reimbursement and rising costs and asked the board to raise a renewable county grant that has not been increased in decades.
Nut graf: At least five in‑person callers — family members, volunteers and the facility’s staff — described daily operational strains, a $50 per resident per day Medicaid shortfall, a food bill exceeding $500,000 annually and a building that is 57 years old. They asked commissioners to increase the county’s annual grant (which speakers said had remained at about $135,000 since 1990) to help stabilize operations.
What speakers said: Shirley Henderson Coleman, director of development for Sadie G. Mays, told the board the facility requested its renewable county grant be increased “from $135,000 to $1,277,000 per year,” and said the center serves an average of 140 residents annually with 87% low income. Deacon Johnny Wise (Hills Community Development Corporation) and other volunteers described continuing in‑kind support and daily assistance for residents and asked commissioners to increase direct county support so the facility can keep operations and staffing stable.
Context and numbers: Speakers cited a per‑resident Medicaid shortfall of roughly $50 per day that adds up to “over $2,000,000” annually; a food bill reported by a speaker as “over $500,000”; and a county renewable grant unchanged since 1990. The transcript records those figures as statements by speakers; county staff did not provide an immediate staff report or budget motion in response during the public comment period.
Board response and next steps: Commissioners did not take a vote on this public‑comment item. Multiple speakers urged the board to consider the request in the county’s budget process; commissioners and county staff noted that budget adjustments typically are handled through the annual budget cycle and directed staff follow‑up would be required to determine available funding and legal or procurement steps.
Ending: The speakers asked the board to prioritize the center in FY2026 budget planning. County staff must confirm the facility’s formal funding request, verify the figures and present options to the commission during the budget process.
