Multnomah County has been sending mental health professionals to dozens of schools in the Portland metro region for decades.
However, the county health department this week presented a budget proposal that could put that service and other vital health initiatives at risk as the county struggles with a $21 million shortfall to its general fund.
The health department’s proposed cuts are only one example of the many drastic cuts that department heads throughout the county have proposed in order to meet Chair Jessica Vega Pederson’s request for proposed budgets that demonstrate 12% reductions.
Highlighting the work that counselors perform to support students and families dealing with mental health concerns, staff from the county’s School Based Mental Health program pleaded with the Board of Commissioners on Thursday not to eliminate counselors.
Frances Flores Tapia, a clinician with the program, stated, “I would like to address the perplexing and shocking proposal to terminate school-based mental health services.” I say those things because I understand how important mental health is to you, but here we are.
Established in 1969, the School Based Mental Health program currently has a budget of $6.5 million for the current fiscal year and covers 34 schools in six districts throughout the county.
In a letter outlining the possible cuts, Health Department Director Rachael Banks stated that if her office had to cut its budget by 12%, it would not be able to pay for program administration and quality management personnel. This agency had a budget of more than $545 million for this fiscal year. “The entire program would have to shut down without oversight,” Banks wrote.
County spokesman Sarah Dean says 38 employees will lose their jobs if the program is terminated. A less severe scenario, in which the department only receives a 3.8% decrease, was also included in the proposed budget; this scenario would preserve the majority of the school-based mental health program.
On Thursday, Commissioner Vince Jones-Dixon reaffirmed his support for the initiative.
Jones-Dixon stated, “We just wanted to let the community members know that we heard them.” In addition to helping students, school-based counselors also help parents.
The 12% request, according to county officials, was made to give Vega Pederson additional choices when she and her team created her entire budget, which is due on April 24. The board will spend several weeks working on the county’s final budgetary plan, and in June, the last month of the current fiscal year, a final budget is expected to be approved.
Put otherwise, the 12% cuts are not set in stone, and it is uncertain how significant the ultimate budget cuts will be. However, county officials have stated that they are in a difficult situation due to the $21 million general fund shortage and the growing volatility in federal financing. In the upcoming fiscal year, the general fund is anticipated to reach $753 million.
With more than 1,600 workers, the health department is the biggest county department. In an email to employees, Banks stated that if it were forced to cut its budget by 12%, its headcount would decrease by more than 100.
If significant cuts are required, the budget proposal presented a bleak picture of health care’ future.
Among other things, the department would eliminate the school mental health program entirely, close its STI clinic in downtown Portland, and lay off six health data analysts and two full-time death investigators at the medical examiner’s office.
Additionally, officials suggested terminating the county’s Nurse Family Partnership program, which assists new mothers. For two years, the program provides first-time parents with support and home visits from nurses.
Federal funds from the COVID-19 era have also dried up, in addition to the general fund deficit, which authorities blamed on a slowing increase in property tax receipts as downtown Portland property prices fell, inflation, and other issues. The funds were used to support epidemiologists, environmental health support, communicable disease services that monitor diseases like avian flu and measles, and a number of other health initiatives.
Vega Pederson sought budgets from four other agencies that showed cuts comparable to those made by the health department, but he called for less stringent requirements for those that support public safety. In order to support the jail, which has been understaffed and is almost at capacity for a long time, the sheriff’s office was not cut. Proposed budgets with 3% cuts were filed by the Department of Community Justice and the District Attorney’s Office.
Officials say this fiscal cycle will be challenging. Additionally, the county’s homeless services department is struggling with a $104 million deficit that may require it to reduce some services and close shelters.
The final budget will be put to a vote by county commissioners on June 12. On June 30, any layoffs would begin.
Austin De Dios reports on programs, politics, and other topics in Multnomah County. You can reach him at @AustinDeDios, [email protected], or 503-319-9744.
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