Daybreak

State Budget Cuts Devastating

DSHS Secretary Susan Dreyfus held stakeholders meetings about the affect of proposed budget cuts in September and October.  Reports about these meetings were similar.

Ms. Dreyfus reported that the state government now faces “one of its hardest moments since the Great Depression” and detailed the choice points and considerations that were given to department heads.

Despite making more than $2.2 billion in cuts to social services in the past two years, she reported that, “additional reductions are inevitable.”

Reactions from those who serve the most vulnerable populations in the state might have been summed up by Sandi Ando of the National Alliance on Mental Illness for Washington and Spokane.  “People will die,” she said.
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In response to the governors directive, DBHR previously submitted a budget cut proposal that will virtually eliminate substance abuse treatment services for adults in Washington.

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Spokane County Community Services estimated a 74% reduction in client substance abuse services based on the 2011-2013 Budget Reduction Decision Package submitted to the governor by DBHR on September 23, 2011.

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On October 27 Governor Gregoire released a budget reduction document that lists the following chemical dependency items she has “tentatively chosen to include” in her 2012 supplemental budget proposal in November:

Reduce chemical dependency services                $14.5 million  
Reduces out-patient and detoxification chemical dependency services for 11,000 low-income clients.

Eliminate Disability Lifeline and ADATSA               $5.2 million
Terminates the Disability Lifeline and ADATSA (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment and Services Act) medical programs, affecting 15,000 clients who receive chemical dependency services.

Eliminate long-term residential and recovery house services   $2.7 million
Ends funding for long-term residential services in excess of 90 days for 223 clients who are chronically chemically dependent or disabled.
Terminates funding for five recovery houses, which serve 299 clients after they have finished their residential treatment program.

Close Pioneer Center East                                        $2.1 million
Halts funding for this Spokane chemical dependency treatment facility that annually serves 283 acute-care clients.

Convert funding to county block grant                         $2.1 million
Introduces flexibility for funding chemical dependency services, which will be distributed to counties
in a block grant to maximize the efficient and flexible use of resources.

Capture Criminal Justice Treatment Account underexpenditure                                                         $2.1 million
Uses underspent Criminal Justice Treatment Account funds to offset state chemical dependency costs for drug courts.

Limit detoxification visits                                             $1.9 million
Reduces the number of admissions to two per year, which will eliminate 2,020 visits annually.

Limit chemical dependency assessments                     $188,000
Reduces the number of assessments to two per year, which will eliminate 251 assessments annually.