Steve Tembeleski’s son Alex gets medical, dental and psychological care at Louisville’s Lee Specialty Clinic, a state-owned facility that provides comprehensive care to adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Alex, a 31-year-old who was born with a genetic intellectual disability, is one of roughly a thousand Kentuckians who will likely lose their care team as the clinic must cut roughly two-thirds of its budget starting next month.
“The irony is there should be two or three more of them,” Tembeleski said. “Not freaking shutting it down.”
The staff at the specialty clinic learned of the cuts Thursday and were told they will go into effect July 15. A spokesperson for the Cabinet of Health and Family Services said outpatient services would be severely limited and blamed budget cuts implemented in the two-year state budget. It amounts to a $4.5 million reduction for the clinic — roughly two-thirds of the facility’s budget…