Cash Crunches Hit County Health Care, Mental Health Programs
Sacramento County
Sacramento County supervisors are scheduled to vote on $6.1 million in budget cuts, including $2.4 million from the county Department of Health and Human Services and $3.8 million from the county Mental Health Division, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Proposals under consideration would:
- End contracts with several mental health contractors;
- Close two community health clinics;
- Terminate a program that provides nursing services to women pregnant for the first time; and
- Stop treating undocumented immigrants through a county program for the medically indigent.
The Board of Supervisors is exploring the budget cuts in an effort to close a $55 million general fund deficit in the current fiscal year (Lewis, Sacramento Bee, 2/11).
San Diego County
On Tuesday, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors cited a drop in state funding in its decision to lay off 27 county employees, including 18 staff members from the county Health and Human Services Department, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The cuts are projected to save the county $2.2 million annually in an attempt to address a revenue shortfall of at least $90 million for this fiscal year (Powell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2/10).
Santa Clara County
On Tuesday, Santa Clara County supervisors delayed a vote on staffing cuts in the county mental health department and approved $470,000 in cuts to the mental health budget that do not affect staffing, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Department staff must continue looking for cuts. They have 60 days to identify alternative funding for mental health programs at juvenile ranches and the county children's shelter (de Sá, San Jose Mercury News, 2/10).
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