Minority Community Fights Back Against Budget Cuts

A diverse coalition of minority groups rallied at the County Council building today against cuts to health programs. We reprint their press release below. Maryland Moment has coverage of the event.

For immediate release. Contact: Anna Maria Izquierdo consejo.salud@gmail.com; 443-655-0101

Grace Rivera Oven grace.rivera@comcast.com; 301-367-2158

Montgomery County Proposes Severe Funding Cuts Disproportionately Impacting Minority Communities

Leaders join to oppose budget cuts to Health Programs

What: Press Conference to Demand that County Council Maintain the County Executive’s Support of his Minority Health Initiatives

When: Thursday, May 7, 2009 2:00 PM

Where: County Office Building-101 Maryland Avenue, Rockville MD (front steps)

Who: African American Health Advisory Committee, Asian Health Steering Committee of Montgomery County, Care for Your Health, Inc., CASA de Maryland, Inc, County Executive’s Latin-American Advisory Group, EVS Communications, Identity Inc., Latino Health Steering Committee of Montgomery County, Montgomery County Latino Lions Club, Proyecto Salud.

Rockville, MD – Diverse community leaders will hold a press conference this Thursday calling on the County Council to deal with minority communities equitably during this period of budget cutbacks. This action is being taken in response to a recommendation by the Health and Human Services Subcommittee of the County Council that proposes an additional 10% cut to the minority health initiative programs of the County. This significant cut from the County Executive’s 2010 County Budget would further increase the adverse impact of budget cuts experienced by the minority health initiative programs when the County Executive 2010 budget called for a 2% across-the board reductions. All of these budget cuts are particularly damaging to minority communities given the overwhelming evidence of pre-existing racial disparities in health care provision and outcomes.

“In a time when the economic situation has made the direct services provided by these Minority Initiatives more crucial than ever, the recommendation from the Health and Human Services Subcommittee to further cut these programs in a significant manner is unacceptable to us.” states Dr. Anna Maria Izquierdo, Co-chair of the Latino Health Steering Committee of Montgomery County.

Altogether the County Council’s recommendation will adversely impact 16,000 members of the minority communities in Montgomery County if adopted. The services impacted are varied and cut across cultural groups and their needs. They include: Hypertension Education and Awareness Link (African American Health Program – 3,600 individuals will not be served), HIV outreach and education (African American Health Program – 500 individuals will not be served), Diabetic programs (African American Health Program – 105 individuals will not be served), SMILE breast pump loan program (African American Health Program – 86 individuals will not be served including both mother and child), Mini-grant for supporting education and outreach done through community based organizations (African American Health Program – 400 individuals will not be served), Bilingual Health Services Line/Interpreter Program (Latino Health Initiative – 3,043 individuals will not be served), Latino Youth Wellness Program at Einstein High, Wheaton High and Gaithersburg Middle Schools (Latino Health Initiative – 160 high risk youth and their families will not be served), Ama tu Vida Health and Screening Program (Latino Health Initiative – 3,000 individuals will not be served), Latino Health Initiative Health Promoter Program (Latino Health Initiative – 2,500 individuals will not be served mainly in Upper County), Outreach and Health education services (Asian American Health Initiative – 900 individuals will not be served), Screening Services (Asian American Health Initiative – 300 individuals will not be served), and the AAHI Navigator Program (Asian American Health Initiative – 900 individuals will not be served).

“The loss of these dollars will set back the work of those hoping to highlight the value of preventive health care, especially for those populations where treatment is sought in emergency rooms-and is often too little too late,” states Arva Jackson, Chair of the African American Health Program. “We hope it is neither too late to restore the funding, nor to the slow the loss of faith in the County Council’s judgment by the adoption of this 10% solution. I encourage them to restore the funding before the budget release slated for May 15th”.

Health and Human Services subcommittee members that approved the cuts are George Leventhal, Chair, Duchy Trachtenberg, and Roger Berliner. The Montgomery County Council will be meeting in the next few days to vote on the proposed cuts.