Local nursing home Ballard Care and Rehabilitation will hold a press conference tomorrow, April 14 at 10 a.m., about proposed budget cuts in Olympia, that, if enacted, they say will create a crisis for thousands of nursing home patients across the state.

Joined by advocates for the elderly, nursing home administrators and staff will speak out publicly about the impact these cuts will have on the seniors in their care.

The press event will be held at Ballard Care and Rehabilitation Nursing Home, 820 N.W. 95th St.

Concerned staff and Executive Director of the Western Washington chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association Nancy Dapper will be there. According to the local nursing home, it's facing the prospect of $800,000 in cuts – the equivalent of 25 full-time certified nurse assistants, the direct care workers who work with residents every day.

More than 60 percent of nursing home patients rely on Medicaid to pay for their care. Some state lawmakers have proposed more than $90 million in Medicaid nursing home cuts over already reduced reimbursement levels.

Low income, seriously ill seniors will suffer as a result. Staffing levels at nursing homes will have to be cut sharply – 1,500 nursing home workers will lose their jobs across the state – seriously reducing the quality of care these seniors receive. Some nursing homes, particularly in rural areas, will be forced to shut down entirely, reducing access for vulnerable seniors.