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Health department and community groups urge council to reject steep cuts, cite services that prevent violence and support mothers and children
Summary
The New Orleans Health Department detailed programs serving mothers, children, people with substance use disorder and violence survivors and warned a proposed 27% cut to its general fund would slow or halt services; dozens of community groups testified in support of continued or increased funding.
The New Orleans Health Department told City Council on Wednesday that a proposed 27% reduction to its general fund would force painful tradeoffs across programs that the department and community partners say prevent violence, support new mothers and connect people experiencing mental health and substance-use crises with non-police responses.
Health Director Dr. Vigna (named in the hearing transcript as the department director) presented a multi-year strategy that included maternal-child health programs, mobile crisis response, harm reduction, violence-prevention partnerships and chronic-disease work. "We continue to strengthen our capacity to delineate and to address key drivers of health inequities," Dr. Vigna said, listing a slate of programs the department runs in partnership with hospitals, nonprofits and state and federal funders.
Why it matters: The department said it accounts for about 1.3% of the city's general fund and that 70% of its roughly 110 employees are grant-funded; the proposed cuts would affect city-funded positions and programs the department argues are…
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