Bay Area Reporter - April 17, 2008
Seth Hemmelgarn, s.hemmelgarn@ebar.com

The cuts approved this week include about $2.2 million in reductions for HIV and AIDS services and at least $12 million in cuts for substance abuse, mental health, and other services.

The commission has held several other hearings this year devoted to finding cuts after Mayor Gavin Newsom told all departments to decrease their use of the city's general fund. San Francisco is facing a $350 million shortfall for the next fiscal year.

One of the biggest cuts was the elimination of about $2.2 million for the chronic care public health nursing program. Nurses in the program make home visits to patients, several of whom have AIDS. Other reductions included eliminating more than 200 vacant positions throughout the health department.

Jonathan Vernick, executive director of Baker Places, which offers residential treatment, referred to this week's eliminations when he told the commission, "These are the single most drastic cuts I've seen," and things are likely to get even worse, especially as agencies' costs continue to increase.

"Please be aware there's a storm coming," he said.

The seven-member commission decided earlier to protect HIV prevention and housing services, so the HIV and AIDS cuts involve categories such as food, legal services, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

The sizes of the reductions for many of the affected agencies haven't yet been determined, but the health department is working with each agency to determine where reductions can be made. Commissioners told the department to keep them posted on specific cuts.

One group facing cuts is St. James Infirmary, a San Francisco agency that helps sex workers - almost all of whom are low-income, and many of whom are homeless - get access to health care and social services. The group is expecting a cut of at least $95,000.

"Medical care is so underfunded and so extremely important," said Naomi Akers, St. James' executive director, in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. "I really don't want to see those services cut for people that really need them and don't have other options."

Jim Illig, the commission's openly gay president, told the B.A.R. in a phone interview "This is a very bad budget year ... the worst anyone's seen." Unlike previous years, the Board of Supervisors likely won't have the money to make restorations to the budget. Illig, who noted the state has also been making funding cuts, said the year has been "very depressing."

The health department's budget goes next to the mayor's office, and then to the Board of Supervisors.

For more information about the cuts, visit the commission's Web site at www.sfdph.org/dph/comupg/aboutdph/hc.

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