Budget Worries North Country Providers

By Trish Anderton on Monday, May 19, 2003.

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Social workers and healthcare providers met in Littleton yesterday to air their concerns about possible cuts in the state budget.

PROVIDERS CAME FROM ALL OVER THE NORTH COUNTRY TO MEET WITH THEIR STATE SENATOR, JOHN GALLUS. POSSIBLE CUTS TO MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAMS WERE AMONG THEIR TOP WORRIES. PETER POWELL OF THE NONPROFIT GROUP ?NEW FUTURES? SAID DRUG AND ALCOHOL COUNSELING IS ALREADY SPREAD TOO THIN THROUGHOUT THE RURAL NORTH.

even if you have outpatient services, if you have a young person or family that cant?t get to a population center like Littleton or berlin, who lives in Dalton or whitefield, that outpatient service doesn?t exist for them.

OTHERS WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC WARD AT THE ANDROSCOGGIN VALLEY HOSPITAL IN BERLIN. THE HOSPITAL HAS SAID THE UNIT IS FACING FINANCIAL PROBLEMS, BECAUSE OF LOW REIMBURSEMENT RATES AND HIGH NUMBERS OF UNINSURED PATIENTS. NORRINE WILLIAMS OF AMMONOOSUC COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES SAID THE STATE SHOULD HELP.

if we lose it and have to transport people it?s going to be an incredible crisis for our hosps and health centers. we care in littleton, we care very deeply about that hosp staying open.

THE PROVIDERS ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT POSSIBLE CUTS TO THE MEDICAID AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUDGETS. THEY URGED GALLUS TO SUPPORT A TOBACCO TAX INCREASE TO HELP PAY FOR HEALTH PROGRAMS. BUT THE REPUBLICAN FROM BERLIN SAID A CIGARETTE TAX HIKE IS UNLIKELY. REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR CRAIG BENSON HAS VOWED NOT TO RAISE TAXES DURING THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES.

would we have the wherewithal to override a sitting governor, I don?t see that happening, so I don?t think that?s really in the mix as a revenue source.

BUT GALLUS INSISTED THE BUDGET SITUATION ISN?T ALL BAD. HE SAID LAWMAKERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE ARE CAREFULLY WEIGHING THE POSSIBLE IMPACT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES CUTS. HE ENCOURAGED THOSE AT THE MEETING TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, ESPECIALLY OVER THE NEXT FEW CRUCIAL WEEKS. FOR NHPR NEWS I?M