Emotion Battles Cost Over Which Sonoma County Drug Treatment Programs to Save
By Gina Cuclis
Sonoma County Budget Hearings Painful to Watch
It's been a roller coaster ride for employees of Sonoma County's nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment programs and for employees of Orenda Center, a drug and alcohol treatment facility operated by the Sonoma County Health Services Department. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Friday concluded a week of budget hearings, where it had to confront a number of painful cuts to services. Every county department was significantly effected. While most of the budget items received no public testimony, one item was the source of a great deal of emotional testimony, displayed by a few dozen people at two separate hearings.
The issue was how to cut $500,000 from the County Department of Health Services Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) budget. Health Services Director, Rita Scardaci, and the county's Advisory Board on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, had recommended the supervisors save that money by closing the Orenda Center and transferring its residential and outpatient treatment programs to community based (nonprofit) providers. Numerous Orenda Center employees and graduates provided emotional testimony during the first day of budget hearings June 1. By the end of that first hearing, four of the five supervisors indicated they were not willing to close Orenda. But that still left the question, how to cut $500,000 from the AODS budget?
Responding to the supervisors' request for alternatives to closing Orenda Center, the County Health Services Department staff prepared three alternatives. These alternatives all involved cutting funding to the community based treatment providers, in some cases, eliminating programs that serve teens and parenting women.
Community Based Treatment Providers Get Organized
Only two speakers at the June 1 hearing were from community based providers. By Friday, the last day of county budget hearings, the nonprofits had organized. Employees and graduates of Womens' Recovery Services, Athena House and the Drug Abuse Alternatives Center testified. Managers emphasized that if their programs had to suffer any further cuts from the county — the county had previously reduced funding to these agencies — their chances of survival were in jeopardy.
The community based programs also had the county health services director on their side. Rita Scardaci told the supervisors at the hearing, and in her written budget report, the recommendation her department and advisory board made would preserve the most treatment services possible. Scardaci said, because of economies of scale, reducing funding to the community providers "would threaten their economic viability."
Also in the financial equation is that nonprofts provide treatment services at about a third of what it costs the county to provide them. Even though Orenda would close, Scardaci and others believe transferring Orenda's services to community based providers would cause little loss of service in the overall drug and alcohol treatment system.
Supervisors Change Their Vote
By the end of Friday, Supervisors Efren Carrillo and Mike Kerns changed their vote, joining Supervisor Paul Kelly in supporting the original recommendation to close Orenda Center and transfer its programs to community based providers. Supervisors Valerie Brown and Shirley Zane, who do not want to close Orenda, indicated they would support using budget reserves to keep it open. A move not supported by the other three.
Not Over Yet
The supervisors are scheduled to take a final vote on the budget June 16. Until then, the lobbying continues. I hear Supervisors Kerns and Carrillo are being inundated with e-mails and phone calls.
Sonoma County Budget Hearings Painful to Watch
It's been a roller coaster ride for employees of Sonoma County's nonprofit drug and alcohol treatment programs and for employees of Orenda Center, a drug and alcohol treatment facility operated by the Sonoma County Health Services Department. The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors Friday concluded a week of budget hearings, where it had to confront a number of painful cuts to services. Every county department was significantly effected. While most of the budget items received no public testimony, one item was the source of a great deal of emotional testimony, displayed by a few dozen people at two separate hearings.
The issue was how to cut $500,000 from the County Department of Health Services Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) budget. Health Services Director, Rita Scardaci, and the county's Advisory Board on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, had recommended the supervisors save that money by closing the Orenda Center and transferring its residential and outpatient treatment programs to community based (nonprofit) providers. Numerous Orenda Center employees and graduates provided emotional testimony during the first day of budget hearings June 1. By the end of that first hearing, four of the five supervisors indicated they were not willing to close Orenda. But that still left the question, how to cut $500,000 from the AODS budget?
Responding to the supervisors' request for alternatives to closing Orenda Center, the County Health Services Department staff prepared three alternatives. These alternatives all involved cutting funding to the community based treatment providers, in some cases, eliminating programs that serve teens and parenting women.
Community Based Treatment Providers Get Organized
Only two speakers at the June 1 hearing were from community based providers. By Friday, the last day of county budget hearings, the nonprofits had organized. Employees and graduates of Womens' Recovery Services, Athena House and the Drug Abuse Alternatives Center testified. Managers emphasized that if their programs had to suffer any further cuts from the county — the county had previously reduced funding to these agencies — their chances of survival were in jeopardy.
The community based programs also had the county health services director on their side. Rita Scardaci told the supervisors at the hearing, and in her written budget report, the recommendation her department and advisory board made would preserve the most treatment services possible. Scardaci said, because of economies of scale, reducing funding to the community providers "would threaten their economic viability."
Also in the financial equation is that nonprofts provide treatment services at about a third of what it costs the county to provide them. Even though Orenda would close, Scardaci and others believe transferring Orenda's services to community based providers would cause little loss of service in the overall drug and alcohol treatment system.
Supervisors Change Their Vote
By the end of Friday, Supervisors Efren Carrillo and Mike Kerns changed their vote, joining Supervisor Paul Kelly in supporting the original recommendation to close Orenda Center and transfer its programs to community based providers. Supervisors Valerie Brown and Shirley Zane, who do not want to close Orenda, indicated they would support using budget reserves to keep it open. A move not supported by the other three.
Not Over Yet
The supervisors are scheduled to take a final vote on the budget June 16. Until then, the lobbying continues. I hear Supervisors Kerns and Carrillo are being inundated with e-mails and phone calls.
Posted by Gina Cuclis at 6/9/2009 10:46 AM 
Categories: Political Organizing,Local Government
Tags: Sonoma County lobbying Orenda Center drug treatment services
Categories: Political Organizing,Local Government
Tags: Sonoma County lobbying Orenda Center drug treatment services
Trackbacks
-
6/16/2009 7:10 PM
BLOG.CUCLISPR.COM wrote:
By Gina CuclisThis is a follow-up to my June 9 post.Sonoma County Supervisors' Final Budget Vote Marks the End of Orenda CenterThe Board of Supervisors today took its final vote on the County of Sonoma's 2009/2010 budget, marking the final chapter for the Orenda Center, an alcohol and other drug treatment facility operated by the County's Department of Health Services. Supervisors approved the budget 5-0, as an item on its consent calendar. The budget provides for transfering Orenda's residential and outpatient treatment services to nonprofit providers. This was the recommendation from the Health Services Director and the County's Advisory Committee ... -
10/29/2009 9:40 PM
BLOG.CUCLISPR.COM wrote:
By Gina CuclisThis is a follow-up to my June 9 post.Sonoma County Supervisors' Final Budget Vote Marks the End of Orenda CenterThe Board of Supervisors today took its final vote on the County of Sonoma's 2009/2010 budget, marking the final chapter for the Orenda Center, an alcohol and other drug treatment facility operated by the County's Department of Health Services. Supervisors approved the budget 5-0, as an item on its consent calendar. The budget provides for transfering Orenda's residential and outpatient treatment services to nonprofit providers. This was the recommendation from the Health Services Director and the County's Advisory Committee ... -
10/29/2009 9:45 PM
BLOG.CUCLISPR.COM wrote:
By Gina CuclisThis is a follow-up to my June 9 post.Sonoma County Supervisors' Final Budget Vote Marks the End of Orenda CenterThe Board of Supervisors today took its final vote on the County of Sonoma's 2009/2010 budget, marking the final chapter for the Orenda Center, an alcohol and other drug treatment facility operated by the County's Department of Health Services. Supervisors approved the budget 5-0, as an item on its consent calendar. The budget provides for transfering Orenda's residential and outpatient treatment services to nonprofit providers. This was the recommendation from the Health Services Director and the County's Advisory Committee ...
They are facing a complicated issue, cutting $500,000 is a lot and there is no simple way of solving the problem. I work in a long term drug rehab in Long Beach myself, I hope I'll never have to go through that.
Reply to this
Cutting the funds of those people makes no sense considering that our entire nation is facing severe drug use issues. If we start cutting drug rehabs what do we have left to do in overcoming drug problems for those who need help?
Reply to this
What you say describes a serious issue. Our jails and prisons become more crowded when people who want treatment don't get the help the need.
Reply to this
drug treatment centers are the key factors that guides an addict to lead a new life. Shutting them down for budget maintenance certainly needs another review.
Reply to this
Don’t stop blogging! It’s nice to read a sane commentary for once
Reply to this
Thanks so much for this great article. Drug treatment centers should not be closing, they should be opening up. This is a shame.
Reply to this
I think it was a wise decision to close Orenda and transfer it's programs to the nonprofit rehabilitation centers in the area. It's the best thing to do since it's services are going to be continued by professional providers, with a lower cost for the community. These people are better trained to take care of addiction problems, after all there are so many nonprofit rehab centers for heroin in California which do a great job in curing addiction.
Reply to this
It is sad to hear regarding the cutting of funds on your facility. This is not the right words to hear but needed to be done. Your institution has been really a huge help to parents who had troubled teens that are addicted to prohibited drugs.
This means that your center is limited on the action regarding to its funds. Reply to this
I think that we can start saving some resources by trying to eliminate the wastefulness that occurs in our government. I know, NO KIDDING! But seriously let's take, for example, the amount of paper that is used on a DAILY basis by government (executive, judicial, AND legislative) organizations and really figure out how much of that we're wasting...bet we find some money that can keep places like these open!
Cheers!
-Booker
www.goldenrule.com
Reply to this
Drug treatment services should be better founded, not closed. People who fell into this addiction should have a chance to recover at least the first time they try.
Reply to this
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community. Your post provided us valuable information to work on. You have take a good exp. of the amount paper.
Reply to this
The drug rehab centers can immediately provide a safe environment for teenagers who have been in dangerous conditions and injured their health. A center will not only focus on the physical drug addiction, but psychological addiction. A teenager in a rehabilitation center will be exposed to people in similar situations. This helps teens realize that they are not alone in their struggles.
Reply to this
The number of teenagers consuming drugs is increasing so should the budget for rehab facilities and raising awareness programs. They are the future and giving funds for their health is an investment in the future.
Reply to this
I'm going to subscribe to this blog because it's very interesting
Reply to this
Blogs are a great way to connect strangers, share experience and provide useful information. You have achieved just that. Thanks for the share.
Reply to this