Health Department cuts mean increased disease and risk of death (Capitol Updates)

Steve Lewis served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1989-1991. He currently practices law in Tulsa and represents clients at the Capitol. You can sign up on his website to receive the Capitol Updates newsletter by email.

The challenges of the current revenue failure and budget shortfall to state services like education, corrections, DHS and Mental Health are familiar. These agencies are usually in the spotlight because the consequences of inadequate services often end up on front pages.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health is usually more low profile unless there is a widespread outbreak of disease or food poisoning. Even then, the focus is usually on finding the source of the outbreak and fixing it. Rarely do we seem to connect the dots and link understaffed and inadequate prevention services with the problem.

But last week public health officials discussed how they plan to deal with this year’s revenue failure and next year’s budget cuts. The agency has lost 25 percent of its state funding since 2009 already, counting this year’s revenue failure. To finish this year, the Health Department will take drastic actions, including eliminating funding to Federally Qualified Health Centers for new clinic sites, eliminating dental health education, and cutting funding for colorectal cancer screening for the uninsured in half.

Next year’s cuts include the closure of five to seven county health department sites, and the Department will notify providers of Oklahoma Child Abuse Prevention services that funding will be discontinued. Eliminating funding for child abuse prevention while spending money on the Pinnacle Plan to deal with child abuse and neglect seems counterproductive to say the least. Speaking of all the cuts, State Board of Health Chairman, Dr. Ronald Thompson, said in a press release “there will be real consequences to these reductions in preventive services including increased disease, avoidable treatment costs and tragically an increased risk of death.”

Next year’s cuts are premised on the $1.3 billion certified shortfall. Legislators and the governor’s office are working on ways to lessen that shortfall. Let’s hope they come up with a good plan moving forward. Some services took years to develop. Once lost, they will never come back. And, even if they do they’ll be too late for those needing them now.