13 public health programs could be eliminated or reduced in SLO County budget cuts

San Luis Obispo County is in the midst of finalizing massive budget cuts, and its health agencies are bearing the brunt of them.

Of the $38 million in total proposed to be cut, $9.1 million — or 24% — is suggested to come from county health and human services departments. All in all, 13 health agency programs have been recommended to be reduced or eliminated completely.

In addition to fiscal cuts, 98.75 jobs were proposed to be eliminated, including 39.5 from public health departments, 33 from the behavioral health group and 23.5 from administrative positions across all health agencies. The decimals represent part-time roles. Originally, 105.5 jobs were recommended to be cut, but the county chose to preserve 6.75 positions.

Consistent with the state Health and Safety Code, a hearing was held at the SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday to publicly discuss the health programs that are on the chopping block and allow for public comment on the cuts before a decision is made.

“That is the intent of today’s hearing: to ensure transparency and provide the public with an opportunity to speak as required,” SLO County Health Agency Director Nick Drews said at Tuesday’s meeting.

A notice detailing what services are recommended to be reduced or eliminated, by how much and who would be impacted was posted on the main entrances of all county health care facilities ahead of the hearing, regardless of whether they are directly affected by the proposed changes or not.

The programs slated for elimination range from substance abuse treatment centers to youth and adult mental health services to an affordable reproductive health clinic. The proposed cuts total $6.8 million.

Of the 14 programs impacted, only one was saved from being slashed, as a temporary funding source was identified to keep Martha’s Place children’s center open for one more year. The closure would’ve saved the county $849,613.

“I want to acknowledge the deep concern around the proposed closure of these vital health services. ... However, during a time of serious budget challenges, we simply cannot sustain every program at the county level,” Supervisor Jimmy Paulding said at Tuesday’s hearing.

What services will be cut?

With the exception of Martha’s place, all 14 programs were cut or reduced based on the original recomendations. Here is a complete list:

One of the most contentious cuts is the closure of the Paso Robles reproductive health and family planning clinic, which offers low-cost, bilingual family planning and sexual health services to residents of North County.

If closed, it would save the county $474,071, partly due to laying off 6 full-time employees — a supervising public health nurse, two public health aides, two administrative assistants and one nurse practitioner.

The closure would also leave nearly 1,400 patients every year without care.

On Tuesday, SLO Health Agency Director Nick Drews announced that when the clinic closes, care will roll over to the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast, which will offer all the services currently provided at the Paso Robles clinic at its Templeton Women’s Health Clinic and other locations elsewhere around North County.

The health centers — with locations in Atascadero, Templeton, San Miguel and Paso Robles — have Spanish- and Mixteco-speaking staff (or language translation services if they do not have bilingual medical staff on site) and offer low-cost healthcare subsidy programs like Every Woman Counts and Family PACT.

Though the latter is currently only offered at their Templeton location, Community Health Centers is in the process of getting certified to offer Family PACT at its other locations, which is typically a six- to nine-month process, Drews said. The centers also accept Cencal and Medicare.

“It’s pretty much identical to what we currently offer,” Drews said.

Other programs are facing similar cuts.

Star Graber, the County Behavioral Health director, outlined the proposal for combining the Atascadero Drug and Alcohol Services center at 3556 El Camino Real with the mental health clinic at 5575 Hospital Way to create one behavioral health clinic.

A similar plan was proposed to consolidate seven Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program clinics into three.

WIC supports income-eligible pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and children under 5 with nutrition education, food benefits, breastfeeding support and referrals. Under proposed cuts, four clinics in Paso Robles, Nipomo, Morro Bay and Cambria would close, leaving three open clinics in San Luis Obispo, Atascadero and Grover Beach and impacting 2,710 families who attended the closing locations.

“In the case of the reproductive health clinic or some of our WIC consolidations, we are working with trusted community organizations that are well positioned to continue operating those services, ensuring continuity of care without duplicating efforts,” Paulding said. “These are incredibly difficult decisions, and they reflect the need to focus our limited resources where they are most needed. Where no other provider can step in, we remain committed to working with our partners to maintain a strong safety net for all residents even in the face of fiscal adversity.”

Chloe Shrager

The Tribune

(805) 781-7809

Chloe Shrager is the courts and crimes reporter for The Tribune. She grew up in Palo Alto, California, and graduated from Stanford with a B.A. in Political Science. When not writing, she enjoys surfing, backpacking, skiing and hanging out with her cat, Billy Goat.