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Human services identifies budget cuts

By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
The Portage County Health and Human Services Department has identified 24 programs for complete cuts or severe or partial reductions to offset the possible loss of about $500,000 in state shared revenues.

"It is crucial to point out the misconception that county Health and Human Services Departments have many unfunded and unnecessary state mandates that, if eliminated, could make up for the elimination of shared revenues," wrote Judy Bablitch, Health and Human Services Department director, and Jim Clark, Health and Human Services Board chairman, in a letter to local state representatives and senators. "The mandates we fulfill are very important. … Far more serious and expensive treatment such as institutionalization, illness and death can result if these services were eliminated."

The 24 selected programs and services are Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs-Promoting Strong Families Right From the Start; Access Services; Child Protective Services; Child Welfare Services; Portage House; Psychological Services; Adult Protective Services/Crisis Intervention; Case Management Services for the Seriously Mentally Ill; Contracted Services for the Serious Mentally Ill; Chemical Dependency Services; Juvenile Justice Services and Children/Family Purchased Services; Family Counseling; Wisconsin Works (W2); Community Health Programs; School Health Services; Environmental Health Services; Licensing Public Establishments; Foster Care Coordination; Home and Financial Management; Shared Services Support; Children with Disabilities and Adults Not Eligible for Family Care (CCPC) Service Coordination and Contracted Services; Inpatient Services for those with Chemical Dependency and Mental Health Problems; Children's Group, Residential Care and Correctional Care; and General Assistance.

Most of the services are now mandated by the state. The list is not prioritized.

"These aren't small things," Bablitch told The Gazette. "These aren't 'pesky mandates.' They're very important to the health and safety of the people in the community. … I don't know of anything that isn't important."

The Health and Human Services Department wants to get the word out on the importance of the services it offers the community, Bablitch said.

"As a department people often don't know what we do until they need us," Bablitch said.

The list of cuts under consideration includes what each program does and a real example of who it serves. For example, Access Services, a mandated program, connects county residents to services provided by the department and community.

"If deleted, initial assessments of what services are needed, crisis counseling, and information and referral would not be provided for community residents," according to a department memo. "Other staff at the Department would have to take part of this responsibility. This is inefficient and costly. Basically, people in the community would not know where to go for assistance."

No immediate response to crisis situations would be available if Access Services were eliminated, the memo said. No one would be available for schools, agency staff, other agencies, or the public to consult regarding what services and resources are available and most appropriate for the situation.

"The state deficit and the Governor's Budget Reform Bill will have a tremendous negative impact on our local delivery of services," Bablitch said. "Of particular concern is what might happen to services in Portage County for those for whom we have responsibility as we might lose one-half million dollars this year with more to come."

Alternatives to McCallum's budget reform bill are now being discussed in Madison, Bablitch said. The Health and Human Services Department is waiting to see what the final budget impact will be to Portage County before it makes any definite decision on what to cut.

"I'm not saying all those (services on the considered cut list) would be reduced. I'm saying that those are the kinds of things we're looking at," Bablitch said. "We all assume there will be some kind of cuts we'll have to make this year and next year at the county."

While many of those so-called "pesky unfunded state mandates" directly help people, there are some mandates that could be cut without reducing services, Bablitch said. Extensive paperwork, layers of required committees and an over abundance of state supervisory personnel on various projects could be streamlined.

"We appreciate that you need to grapple with a serious financial problem," Bablitch and Clark wrote legislators. "However, we hope you don't fall into the trap of believing that doing away with 'unfunded mandates' to make up for eliminating shared revenues is a solution."



	Human services identifies budget cuts By BRIAN LEAHY of The Gazette The Portage County Health and Human Services Department has identified 24 programs for complete cuts or severe or partial reductions to offset the possible loss of about $500,000 in state shared revenues. "It is crucial to point out the misconception that county Health and Human Services Departments have many unfunded and unnecessary state mandates that, if eliminated, could make up for the elimination of shared revenues," wrote Judy Bablitch, Health and Human Services Department director, and Jim Clark, Health and Human Services Board chairman, in a letter to local state representatives and senators. "The mandates we fulfill are very important. … Far more serious and expensive treatment such as institutionalization, illness and death can result if these services were eliminated." The 24 selected programs and services are Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs-Promoting Strong Families Right From the Start; Access Services; Child Protective Services; Child Welfare Services; Portage House; Psychological Services; Adult Protective Services/Crisis Intervention; Case Management Services for the Seriously Mentally Ill; Contracted Services for the Serious Mentally Ill; Chemical Dependency Services; Juvenile Justice Services and Children/Family Purchased Services; Family Counseling; Wisconsin Works (W2); Community Health Programs; School Health Services; Environmental Health Services; Licensing Public Establishments; Foster Care Coordination; Home and Financial Management; Shared Services Support; Children with Disabilities and Adults Not Eligible for Family Care (CCPC) Service Coordination and Contracted Services; Inpatient Services for those with Chemical Dependency and Mental Health Problems; Children's Group, Residential Care and Correctional Care; and General Assistance. Most of the services are now mandated by the state. The list is not prioritized. "These aren't small things," Bablitch told The Gazette. "These aren't 'pesky mandates.' They're very important to the health and safety of the people in the community. … I don't know of anything that isn't important." The Health and Human Services Department wants to get the word out on the importance of the services it offers the community, Bablitch said. "As a department people often don't know what we do until they need us," Bablitch said. The list of cuts under consideration includes what each program does and a real example of who it serves. For example, Access Services, a mandated program, connects county residents to services provided by the department and community. "If deleted, initial assessments of what services are needed, crisis counseling, and information and referral would not be provided for community residents," according to a department memo. "Other staff at the Department would have to take part of this responsibility. This is inefficient and costly. Basically, people in the community would not know where to go for assistance." No immediate response to crisis situations would be available if Access Services were eliminated, the memo said. No one would be available for schools, agency staff, other agencies, or the public to consult regarding what services and resources are available and most appropriate for the situation. "The state deficit and the Governor's Budget Reform Bill will have a tremendous negative impact on our local delivery of services," Bablitch said. "Of particular concern is what might happen to services in Portage County for those for whom we have responsibility as we might lose one-half million dollars this year with more to come." Alternatives to McCallum's budget reform bill are now being discussed in Madison, Bablitch said. The Health and Human Services Department is waiting to see what the final budget impact will be to Portage County before it makes any definite decision on what to cut. "I'm not saying all those (services on the considered cut list) would be reduced. I'm saying that those are the kinds of things we're looking at," Bablitch said. "We all assume there will be some kind of cuts we'll have to make this year and next year at the county." While many of those so-called "pesky unfunded state mandates" directly help people, there are some mandates that could be cut without reducing services, Bablitch said. Extensive paperwork, layers of required committees and an over abundance of state supervisory personnel on various projects could be streamlined. "We appreciate that you need to grapple with a serious financial problem," Bablitch and Clark wrote legislators. "However, we hope you don't fall into the trap of believing that doing away with 'unfunded mandates' to make up for eliminating shared revenues is a solution."