Budgeting woes plagued Lennie Marie Tolliver center
JULIE BISBEE, Capitol Bureau
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Published: September 1, 2009
Nonprofit groups that gave money to help operate the Lennie Marie Tolliver center had concerns about the center dating to 2006, reports show.
The center, which offers adult day care services to senior citizens and adults with disabilities, closed Aug. 7 after officials said they no longer had enough money to operate the program. The center lost
United Way funds and saw its budget cut when lawmakers made cuts to the state Health Department budget during the past legislative session.
The center, 2001 Martin Luther King Ave., served 22 adults at the time of its closing. The adults have since been moved to other centers,
Executive Director Sandra Stutson earlier told
The Oklahoman.
Program auditors with the United Way of Metro
Oklahoma City had concerns about operations of the adult day care center nearly three years ago, said
Blair Schoeb, vice president of community investment for United Way.
"We were concerned about the low number of clients and the cash they had in the bank,” Schoeb said. "It seemed like they were dipping into savings every month just to pay their expenses.”
The board overseeing Tolliver center was put on probation by United Way and asked to increase its enrollment. When the numbers didn’t increase, the Tolliver center lost its United Way funding in December 2008, Schoeb said.
"We made special provisions for Tolliver,” Schoeb said. "They were going to get their affairs in order, make their finances more stable. Personally, I believe if they were to get their affairs in order they might have remained a partner agency.”
The center continued to operate, but when an allocation to Tolliver was cut from the Health Department’s budget, the center closed. Once the program stopped offering services, it also lost funding from the state
Department of Human Services, which reimbursed them for adult care services for about $45 a day, said
Eleanor Kurtz, a DHS programs administrator.
The center had a contract for $68,421 for the current budget year, which began July 1, Kurtz said. DHS ended its contract to pay for services Aug. 10. Kurtz said the center was in good standing, but in some years had not used all its allotted money. The center submits claims to DHS to be reimbursed for care provided to senior citizens and adults with disabilities, she said. In some years, the center did not submit enough paperwork to receive all of its money.
"They left money on the table so we decreased their contract amount,” Kurtz said.
Attempts to reach Stutson by phone and e-mail Monday were unsuccessful. A message left with board member
Irma Sewell was not returned.
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