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Cutbacks

Monday, February 25, 2013

Local EMS, Mental Health Services Respond to Potential Sequestration

Should Congress not act by March 1, a series of automatic cuts will take effect that affect thousands of middle class jobs, and cut vital services for children, seniors, people with mental illness and our men and women in uniform

If the sequester goes through on March 1, it could mean massive cuts to emergency services, mental health services, school funding, senior citizen services and more. Locally, the various National Alliance on Mental Illness programs continue to advocate for change before March 1. If sequestration goes into effect, more than 373,000 mentally ill adults and children could go untreated. The result could be homelessness, increased crime and increased hospitalizations. Carol Caruso, executive director of NAMI Montgomery County, said mental health and substance abuse programs could be cut by about 5 percent. Tack that onto the 10 percent cut that occurred in the Pennsylvania budget. "There is more slicing away at services in that area that are …

Jim Roberts

5:10 pm on Monday, February 25, 2013

Amazing that a 2% cut in the federal budget will have such an impact. I guess the government is so efficient already, there really isn't any fat to trim after all, eh?   more ›

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