San Francisco Budget Could Cut Public Health Services by $25 Million

San Francisco Department of Public Health officials on Friday proposed two tiers of funding cuts that could total as much as $25 million and affect services for people with substance abuse problems, people with mental illnesses, people with HIV/AIDS and shut-ins in an effort to help close a projected budget deficit of $102 million for fiscal year 2005-2006, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

DPH Director Mitch Katz proposed $14.7 million in initial budget cuts and $10 million in contingencies that Mayor Gavin Newsom (D) could order to help address San Francisco's budget deficit.

San Francisco last year cut $25 million from DPH, most of which involved administrative costs and generally preserved services for uninsured, homeless and low-income residents. The $1 billion public health budget is expected to grow by more than $33 million in FY 2005-2006, but new regulations and fixed costs are expected to require officials to enact some budget cuts.

Katz said the budget cuts primarily would affect services, but he noted that some programs would be replaced with less-costly alternatives, including switching certain residential treatment programs for people with substance abuse problems and people with mental illnesses to voluntary supportive housing models.

The DPH budget proposal also would:

• Cut outpatient substance abuse programs by 60%;
  
  
• Eliminate acupuncture treatment for substance abusers;
  
  
• Eliminate case management for patients with HIV/AIDS;
  
  
• Decrease the number of patients eligible for no-cost prescription drugs;
  
  
• Eliminate a health and safety education program for residential hotels;
  
  
• Close the dialysis unit at San Francisco General Hospital;
  
  
• Lay off public health nurses who conduct home visits for patients with chronic illnesses; and
  
  
• Result in closures or more limited hours for neighborhood health centers.