Politics & Government

Supervisors Consider Cuts to Health System

Proposed budget would cut salaries for public health nurses who service special needs children in Menlo Park.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors continued its first day of 2011-12 budget hearings Monday by considering a range of proposed cuts and service reductions to the county health system.

The recommended cuts to the health department total more than $9.6 million, according to County Manager David Boesch, and include reductions in funding to the Mental Assessment and Referral Program, the Multipurpose Senior Services Program, and a range of health programs that serve low-income and at-risk children.

Health System Chief Jean Fraser said the reductions to children's services were unavoidable because of cutbacks in adult services programs that were made in last year's budget.

"Honestly, we just don't have a choice," Fraser said. "We have to cut some kids' services.

About two dozen San Mateo County nurses protested outside the government center in Redwood City Monday over proposed Health System cuts, which participants said would threaten the county's underserved and at-risk communities.

"When you cut too much, you shoot yourself in the foot," San Mateo Medical Center staff nurse Peter Zych said.

The protesters carried signs that read "Preventive care saves money and lives" and "Some cuts don't heal."

Supervisors this week will consider adopting a $1.69 billion budget that includes $29 million in spending cuts distributed among almost every county department, including the sheriff's office, the district attorney's office, and the county health department, according Boesch's budget report.

The budget also includes a proposal to eliminate 208 county jobs, 65 of which are filled. County officials plan to offer early retirement incentives and move employees to vacant positions in order to minimize layoffs, according to Boesch's office.

Budget hearings will continue with presentations from the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, the Treasurer-Tax Collector and County Counsel.

--Bay City News


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