Final Round of Budget Cuts in S.F. Pulls $2M From Health Department
The San Francisco Department of Public Health was hit with a $2 million budget cut as part of a final round of cuts that Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
When Newsom signed the budget last month, he indicated that another $4.8 million in cuts would be needed to preserve the city's emergency reserves.
The health department cuts call for:
- Reducing outpatient mental health and substance abuse services to save $657,036;
- Cutting back on operating room hours at San Francisco General Hospital to save $526,380;
- Reducing services for homeless people to save $397,446; and
- Eliminating three nursing positions for the Health at Home Program catering to homebound people with chronic illnesses to save $300,000.
Most of the cuts announced Tuesday were smaller than initial proposals that Newsom released with his budget proposal in June (Allday, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/13). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.