State Budget Woes Continue

New data reveal that more than 52,000 state and local public health jobs have been lost since 2008.  Federal, state and local government budget cuts are jeopardizing a decade of significant gains made by state and territorial health agencies (SHAs). Critical SHA programs and services have been cut or reduced, staff positions have been eliminated and many staff have been laid off or furloughed. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials has been following this trend since 2008, when it initiated a longitudinal study to investigate the impact of budget cuts on SHAs and the people they serve.  The March 2012 update of the Budget Cuts Impact Research Brief reports the results of the eighth round of the Budget Cuts Survey.  For more information, please contact ksellers@astho.org or Rivka Liss-Levinson.