LEDYARD, Conn. (WTNH) — The full council in Ledyard is expected to approve a budget that will cut out a nursing service the town has provided for 76 years.

Next Monday, Ledyard residents will vote on whether or not to approve the new town budget that would eliminate the Ledyard Regional Visiting Nurses Agency.

Megan Gallant an employee at the town’s visiting nursing agency picked up flowers for her colleagues for National Nurses Week.

“Moral is maybe a little bit down this year, so [these are] something to try to kind of brighten the mood in the office,” Megan Gallant said. 

After 76 years the agency is expected to be cut from the Ledyard town budget. 

“I don’t want to lose them. They’re too good to us. They’re here when we need them,” John Kasmarski said. 

The visiting nurses were a money-making service for the town for a long time but with competition from larger healthcare agencies, that has changed.  

“They’re looking at losing between $300,000 and $450,000,” Ledyard Fred Allyn III (R- Conn.)  said.

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Most town services don’t generate money but unlike police, fire, emergency services, and education visiting nurses are not an essential service. 

“It was a nice-to-have but not a must-have,” Allyn said.

“To me, we’ve had the best of care. The best,” Kasmarski said.

The Ledyard visiting nurses say if the agency is cut, they will make sure their patients find another visiting nurse so there is no lapse in care.

“I’m more upset because I know it’s going to affect the patients,” Cheryl Pavon, an employee at  Ledyard Regional Visiting Nurses Agency.

Pavon says as a nurse she’ll find another job but it won’t be like this one where quality is valued over quantity. 

“I’m not hounded by ‘Oh how many people did you see today? You’ve got to see two more because you didn’t finish your productivity,’” Pavon said.

The paperwork has already been submitted to shut down this service but next week voters still need to approve the budget which is expected to cut it out completely.