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Q&A
Impact of budget reductions on DOHMH programs and services
0:43:02
ยท
3 min
Council Member Lynn Schulman questions DOHMH officials about recent budget reductions and their impact on programs and services. Acting Commissioner Michelle Morse and CFO Aaron Anderson provide information on the department's approach to these cuts.
- DOHMH's public health budget was reduced by $104.4 million over fiscal years 2024 and 2025
- Officials claim they tried to minimize impact on service delivery through efficiencies
- The department is in ongoing conversations with OMB about resource needs
- Council requests detailed information on specific programs and organizations affected by cuts
Lynn Schulman
0:43:02
Over the last two fiscal years combined, DOHMH's public health budget was reduced by a hundred and $4,400,000 for fiscal twenty twenty four and fiscal twenty twenty five.
0:43:13
Out of these reductions, $5,400,000 was fully restored and baselined at adoption for fiscal twenty twenty five for various HIV and AIDS related services, yet the remaining cuts have not been restored to date.
0:43:27
When we questioned these cuts during our budget hearings last year, you testified that these were mostly OTPS efficiencies and you assured us that these were not impacting programs.
0:43:36
At this point, we still have a total contract reduction of roughly $9,000,000 yet to be restored.
0:43:42
How much of the 26,400,000 OTPS efficiency reductions in fiscal twenty twenty five targeted specific programs?
Michelle Morse
0:43:51
Thank you for that question.
0:43:53
It is never easy to go through PEG scenarios and we did go through two last year as you described.
0:44:00
We in the health department did our best to make sure that service delivery was not impacted as much as possible and we also did our best to make sure that again any cuts were related to other kinds of efficiencies rather than direct service delivery.
0:44:15
But it was a very challenging time.
Lynn Schulman
0:44:19
How many community based organizations lost their contracts due to the contract reductions in fiscal twenty twenty five?
Michelle Morse
0:44:26
I'll pass to our Chief Financial Officer.
Aaron Anderson
0:44:29
Thanks for the question.
0:44:31
I would just add one thing which is that we're in constant conversation with OMB about all of our resource needs and making sure that we have what we need and that's an iterative process.
0:44:42
There were a number of reductions last year.
0:44:46
The vast majority were efficiencies as opposed to sort of contract reductions because it would impact services.
0:44:52
I think we've shared that list previously.
0:44:54
We're to to share that again.
Lynn Schulman
0:44:56
The Please.
Aaron Anderson
0:44:57
But the number was was pretty minimal.
0:44:59
I mean
Lynn Schulman
0:45:00
Yeah.
0:45:00
If you can provide the list of nonprofit organizations that lost funding broken down by the specific programs they covered and how much they lost, Were they, I assume they were provided notice if there were funding reductions for them?
Aaron Anderson
0:45:14
Yes, they would have been provided notice.
Lynn Schulman
0:45:16
What kind of notice were they given?
0:45:22
I'm just.
Aaron Anderson
0:45:24
I think we can get back to you on the specific type of notice.
Lynn Schulman
0:45:28
Also, well I'm sorry.
Aaron Anderson
0:45:29
Services.
0:45:30
Sorry.
Lynn Schulman
0:45:31
No, go ahead.
Aaron Anderson
0:45:32
No, mean these are tough decisions.
0:45:35
I mean we really made every effort to make sure that services were not impacted.
0:45:39
It's inevitable.
Lynn Schulman
0:45:40
We can help you push.
0:45:41
So that's why it's important to get us that information.
0:45:45
And also when we had, when we started our preliminary budget hearings and we met with the OMB, I specifically asked a question of whether or not DOHMH of the grant funded programs if you had to do the, still do the two for one in terms of and they said no.
0:46:02
And Shock said no.
0:46:04
So if that's not the case then we need to know that.
0:46:11
Because that's on record and under oath.