Real Change News | Public Health still ailing

November 26, 2008
Vol: 15 No: 49

Community & Editorial

Public Health still ailing

by: Cydney Gillis , Staff Reporter

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The low-income women and mothers who rely on family planning services at the county’s Public Health clinics in White Center and Northshore will be glad to know their services have gotten a reprieve from being cut. The problem is the extension only lasts three months, until the end of September next year.

In its final 2009 budget, passed Nov. 24, the King County Council found a way to fund some of the $19.5 million in Public Health cuts proposed by County Executive Ron Sims, who had to fill a revenue shortfall of $93.4 million brought on by the region’s and nation’s economic downturn. Sims’ plan called for making the cuts in two stages, with immediate cuts on Dec. 31 and another round deferred to June 30 in hopes, by then, of getting the Legislature to fund what Sims called “lifeboat” services.

The family planning services at Northshore and White Center were originally slated to be cut June 30 with the “lifeboat” group (“Drastic cuts in Public Health services proposed,” RC Oct. 22-28). The council added three more months, but spread the risk: If the Legislature doesn’t come through, all Public Health family planning services will run out of funding on Sept. 30.

The good news is no actual clinics will close – the council provided a full year’s funding for all 12 sites, along with programs for sexually transmitted disease, children’s immunization, seniors with chronic disease, and youth violence reduction.

On June 30, the county still plans to reduce or end a number of other “lifeboat” services – including death investigations and programs to control tuberculosis and animal-to-human disease – if the Legislature cannot provide $4.5 million in funding to get them through the year.

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