Health Department Appeals to BOCS Not to Cut Funding

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After Chairman At-Large Corey Stewart previously told the Board of County Supervisors his plan to eliminate the Prince William Health Department, Health Director of the Prince William Health District Dr. Alison Anture pleaded for the funding of the Health Department at the Nov. 27 Board meeting.

“If the BOCS cuts our budget by 91.3 of county tax dollars. The Health Department will forfeit 2.7 million matching state dollars, and the health department will not be able to protect the people of Prince William County,” Anture said.

Framing it as a public safety concern, Anture said her department provides services such as immunizations in a health crisis, which keeps county residents safe.

“We are the health and emergency support function; we ensured the hospital, emergency were able to function during the last two weather events,” Anture said.

She added that they prevent the spread of disease in times of flooding, participate in HazMat responses and prevent the spread of disease, such as the H1NI virus. In the community the agency works to protect establishments from foodborne illnesses.

For mothers and children, it provides necessary immunizations, WIC (Women Infants Children), and supports healthier pregnancies with better outcomes.

Stewart eliminated the department from the FY 2013 Legislative Agenda, taking issue with the General Assembly’s “unfunded mandates,” though he said the county would fund what was a legal requirement.

“Before you come asking us for revenue, I would think you ask the General Assembly to contribute its fair share,” Stewart told Anture.

“In my view it is a state responsibility,” Stewart said. “I have no problem with any of the services you provided. It is leading us to increase taxes, or cutting back on local core services, and that’s the underlining problem.”

Chairman Stewart and Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi clashed over the need to fund the Health Department if the state does not step up and provide funding.

“This Board has always complained about the fact that we are sharing an increasing burden of the cost, unfunded mandates. They’re not even doing their core services anymore, and we’re having to foot the bill,” Stewart said. “Actually, to be more correct, our taxpayers are having to foot the bill. And my feeling is, either fund them or cut them, but don’t pass on the burden to local taxpayers.”

Principi framed the problem in another way.

“And Mr. Chairman, I would actually agree with you on that. The state needs to step up and pull its fair share. What I don’t agree is on cutting the program like that (he snapped his fingers), and putting Prince William residents, the people we care about, out on the street without prenatal care, without immunizations, without the fundamental public health services that every family in this community needs.”

But Stewart responded that it cuts into essential services.

“I wish we had all the resources that you are talking about to do all these things,” but said it would put core services, “education, transportation and public safety,” in jeopardy.

But Principi argued that is only true if the Board “arbitrarily” works towards keeping a flat tax bill.

But Gainesville Supervisor Pete Candland, in favor of the flat tax bill, said lower taxes would especially help out low-income residents.

Brentsville Supervisor Wally Covington suggested that the Board investigate the ways in which other smaller counties are funding their health departments.

“I’m going to bet ya, that there’s a fair amount of income tax dollars from Northern Virginia that are going through the state and funding those agencies and not a lot of real estate dollars,” Covington said.

County Executive Melissa Peacor said the health department would make an excellent example for the county to plead the General Assembly to bring more of our tax dollars home to fund our own agencies.

The health department is currently not included in the legislative agenda, although the document has not been finalized.

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