The projected shortfall in King County's general fund could jeopardize a variety of public health programs including disease control and direct care at public health clinics, according to the chair of the King County Board of Health.
Councilwoman Julia Patterson called for action by the state Legislature to authorize a long-term, stable funding source for public health programs across the state.
"Public health supports services that are critical to the fabric that holds our community together, and King County's funding is the foundation on which these services are built," Patterson, who is also council chairwoman, said. "This is not just a King County problem, this is a statewide problem, and the state Legislature must provide a stable revenue source for public health."
The budget for public health is $193 million, of which $31.8 million is supported by the county general fund. However, with King County projecting a $68 million gap between revenues and expenses in its 2009 budget, public health is preparing for a reduction of at least $10 million in services in 2009, with more cuts likely in the following years if no long-term, stable funding solution is found.
"This is the bottom rung of the safety net," said Dr. Bud Nicola, member of the Board of Health. "Without these services, people have nowhere else to go."
When voters adopted Initiative 695 in 1999, they also repealed a major source of funding for public health in this state - the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax - and the state Legislature has not identified a permanent source of revenue to replace it, whether from state funds or some form of local option.
Since then, local governments have backfilled the gap from their general funds, with some lesser, temporary funds from the state that haven't met the rising costs of providing critical public health services or the additional decline of federal funding.
Patterson, Nicola and Group Health Cooperative President and CEO Scott Armstrong spoke at a news conference at the Columbia Public Health Center that preceded an afternoon meeting of the Board of Health, where members discussed potential strategies for addressing the public health budget crisis.
