A $3.3 billion dollar deficit has prompted Governor Perdue to request each state agency to propose 5%, 10% and 15% cuts to reduce state government spending. So what do $3.3 billion dollars in cuts mean for people with MS and other chronic disabling illnesses?
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Lanier Cansler says a 15 percent reduction for the HHS equates to roughly $600 million, threatening the existence and continuation of several community health services and programs. Several of these proposed cuts include million dollar reductions to funding the Personal Care Services program which provide in-home aid to the elderly and persons with disabilities, funding for basic support case services that assist individuals in obtaining and retaining employment, and reductions to eliminate recreational therapist positions within Independent Living Services. These proposed cuts may very well become reality for the 2011-13 fiscal year if state leaders don’t take a balance approach to the state budget.
The National MS Society along with a diverse group of non-profit organizations, service providers, and professional associations have joined with Together NC, to promote wise choices for shared prosperity for all North Carolinians during a time of severe economic recession. Alternatives to the massive cuts mandate the prioritization of public services and programs that allow all people, including those people with MS and other chronic illnesses to promote the success of stable and thriving families and communities.
We ask you to join others in taking action by signing the Together NC Petition. Tell your governor and state legislators that we are counting on them to take a balanced approach to the state budget – one that includes spending money wisely and raising new revenues.
