By now, it is well known that the state budget has been under severe duress over the past two years. Overall, as we show in the latest version of our Budget Trends and Highlights fact sheet, this year’s state appropriations of $6.714 billion are some $400 million, or 6.1 percent, less than the budget of two years ago. Over half of all appropriated state agencies have absorbed cuts of 15 percent or more over the past two years.

Yet if most people know that there have been overall cuts in funding, what is less clear are the specific measures that agencies have adopted in response to funding reductions and the impact these measures have had on services and programs. Particularly as we face the real possibility of deeper funding cuts next year and, potentially, for several years after that, understanding the impact of acute and extended budget shortfalls on public services will be essential for policymakers and the public alike.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is among the agencies that has been hard hit by cuts over the past two years. In FY ’09, OSDH received state appropriations of $75.0 million. This amount was reduced by $6.1 million in FY ’10 and an additional $5.2 million in FY ’11, for a total two-year cut of $11.3 million, or 15.1 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

While discussing the state of public health in Oklahoma with a House health appropriations subcommittee, Health Commissioner Terry Cline warned that “Oklahoma is about to become the public health joke of the country.” With Oklahoma standing at 49th in overall health outcomes, ranking above only Mississippi, additional cuts to the Oklahoma  State Department of Health (OSDH) could drop the state’s public health ranking to the very bottom.

The committee has asked all agencies to report how they would be affected by additional cuts of 10, 15 or 20 percent in FY ’11. For OSDH, a 10 percent cut would equate to a $6.8 million funding drop. Read the rest of this entry »