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Service program cut proposals draw skepticism Jackson County will feel effect By Dani Dodge Nearly 100 people showed up at a Medford meeting Friday to hear about proposed cuts to the state�s human services department � cuts that will affect seniors, high school students and families. Some of the most visible cuts in Jackson County could include four school-based health centers and Oregon Project Independence, a program that helps more than 300 seniors stay in their homes longer. Others proposed include lowering cash assistance to needy families, cutting job programs and tightening the distribution of anti-depressants. Several people in the audience, made up mostly of state employees, called the cuts "untenable." But Hank Collins, the county�s director of health and human services, said he�s hopeful that some programs proposed for cuts will continue either with state or local money. "I�m fairly certain we�re losing money for our school-based health centers," Collins said. "But on other things, we�ll have to see how things come down." Directors of the Oregon Department of Human Services called the meeting Friday morning at the Rogue Regency Inn to discuss cuts proposed in Gov. John Kitzhaber�s 2001-2003 budget. It was one of five similar meetings being held across the state. The human services department is the state�s largest agency with 9,500 employees. The department serves more than 700,000 Oregonians annually through welfare-to-work, cash assistance, child-welfare, mental health programs, public health clinics, the Oregon Health Plan, vocational rehabilitation, senior programs, programs for the disabled, and alcohol and drug treatment. The governor�s plan, which contains cuts in a number of human services programs, will be presented to the Oregon Legislature early in 2001. His proposed budget also includes cuts to state police and other agencies. At Friday�s meeting, state managers also discussed the proposed reorganization of human services. The reorganization aims to serve clients and communities in a more integrated fashion while at the same time saving money. Human Services Deputy Director Bob Mink held up the integrated services offered in White City as a model for the reorganization. Mink said the department is supporting the governor both in the reorganization plan and the cuts. "There are many things in the governor�s budget you won�t like," Mink said. "There are many things the governor doesn�t like. But it�s a budget our department will support in the legislative session. "We wish we had more, but we don�t. And we have to advocate for what we have here because once we get into session, there will be tremendous competition." The cuts are not expected to affect jobs, but positions will be lost through attrition, said Doug Wilson, human services assistant director for finance. Though department leaders were trying to build support for the plan, several in the audience wanted to know what they could do to oppose certain cuts. Mink told them to go to legislative hearings to voice their concerns and talk to their state legislators. For more information, check out the department�s Web site at www.hr.state.or.us or call 503-947-5077. Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.