Cases like the Evelyn Miller murder in 2005 spurred outcry for more DHS funding, but now nearly one third of field workes could lose their jobs (WHO-TV)
Two months ago, Governor Culver vowed another case of dependant adult abuse like the one in Atalissa wouldn't happen under his watch. Now, Channel 13 News has obtained internal memos from the Department of Human Services that say more cases of abuse are inevitable because of budget cuts.
The DHS is being dealt a double blow. Wednesday the Senate rejected the governor's appointment of Gene Gessow as director. The vote, 32-18, comes on the heels of proposed cuts that could significantly impact services to abused children, dependant adults and victims of domestic abuse.
Channel 13's Sonya Heitshusen obtained the e-mail, sent on April 2 to DHS field workers, revealing deeper cuts than many expected. Many employees knew the cuts were coming, but were shocked to learn how deep they could go. The memo says if the legislature passes the budget as it stands now, more than one third of DHS workers in the field -- up to 252 -- will lose their jobs.
What does this mean for the special needs children attending Orchard Place in Des Moines?
"Our biggest concern would be the access to care that families will get," says Orchard Place CEO Brock Wolff.
The cuts would hit at the worst possible time. Wolff says since the beginning of the recession, the number of outpatient clients has doubled. He says kids may have to wait before they can get help.
"That's our biggest concern, that kids will come in more in a crisis state rather than at a state where we can get them on the right track in a timely manner," Wolff says.
But while the demand is increasing, services are bound to decrease. According to the DHS memos, there will be a 14% reduction of staff supporting child and adult protective assessments. Those are the types of workers that might have investigated complaints of abuse in Atalissa, where 21 mentally disabled men were allegedly malnourished and mistreated.
On top of that, the memo says there could be a 15% reduction in staff that provides ongoing child welfare case management services to children who have been abused. Senator Jack Hatch, who heads the Human Services Committee, says with a 10- to 12% cut to the DHS, a loss of some services in unavoidable.
"All of those services are going to be reduced. That means more waiting, more waiting lists being developed, fewer Iowans getting served at their critical time," Hatch says.
Some lawmakers have already been told they may have to become more tolerant of abuse. Republican minority leader Paul McKinley calls that absurd.
"There's no excuse for child abuse or elderly abuse or any other kind of abuse," McKinley says.
The budget has not been passed, but Hatch says cuts similar to the ones described in the DHS memo are likely. The only influx of money will come from federal stimulus money. The governor's office says $15 million of it will go to the DHS, with $7.9 million of that going to field operations. But that pales in comparison to the roughly $120 million being taken out of the DHS budget.
The DHS is being dealt a double blow. Wednesday the Senate rejected the governor's appointment of Gene Gessow as director. The vote, 32-18, comes on the heels of proposed cuts that could significantly impact services to abused children, dependant adults and victims of domestic abuse.
Channel 13's Sonya Heitshusen obtained the e-mail, sent on April 2 to DHS field workers, revealing deeper cuts than many expected. Many employees knew the cuts were coming, but were shocked to learn how deep they could go. The memo says if the legislature passes the budget as it stands now, more than one third of DHS workers in the field -- up to 252 -- will lose their jobs.
What does this mean for the special needs children attending Orchard Place in Des Moines?
"Our biggest concern would be the access to care that families will get," says Orchard Place CEO Brock Wolff.
The cuts would hit at the worst possible time. Wolff says since the beginning of the recession, the number of outpatient clients has doubled. He says kids may have to wait before they can get help.
"That's our biggest concern, that kids will come in more in a crisis state rather than at a state where we can get them on the right track in a timely manner," Wolff says.
But while the demand is increasing, services are bound to decrease. According to the DHS memos, there will be a 14% reduction of staff supporting child and adult protective assessments. Those are the types of workers that might have investigated complaints of abuse in Atalissa, where 21 mentally disabled men were allegedly malnourished and mistreated.
On top of that, the memo says there could be a 15% reduction in staff that provides ongoing child welfare case management services to children who have been abused. Senator Jack Hatch, who heads the Human Services Committee, says with a 10- to 12% cut to the DHS, a loss of some services in unavoidable.
"All of those services are going to be reduced. That means more waiting, more waiting lists being developed, fewer Iowans getting served at their critical time," Hatch says.
Some lawmakers have already been told they may have to become more tolerant of abuse. Republican minority leader Paul McKinley calls that absurd.
"There's no excuse for child abuse or elderly abuse or any other kind of abuse," McKinley says.
The budget has not been passed, but Hatch says cuts similar to the ones described in the DHS memo are likely. The only influx of money will come from federal stimulus money. The governor's office says $15 million of it will go to the DHS, with $7.9 million of that going to field operations. But that pales in comparison to the roughly $120 million being taken out of the DHS budget.
