The Arkansas Department of Health said it will trim $3.6 million from its budget in response to a request from Gov. Mike Beebe to cut the state budget by $100 million for the current fiscal year.
"We looked at the areas where we felt that we can postpone or reschedule projects that we would very much like to do, but simply cannot afford right now," Director Paul K. Halverson said in a news release.
About half the cuts, or $1.8 million, will come from the Trauma System's Emergency Service providers/defibrillators and the Arkansas Community Health Centers for one-time needs.
"Due to the uncertainty of the economy, the Department deferred distributing this allocation while communicating this plan to the stakeholders involved," the news release said.
The department's total budget is about $400 million.
The rest of the cuts will include:
- A 1 percent reduction, or $628,000, on all Community Health Centers, which will highlight a delay in hiring non-critical positions and a reduction in conference travel and training budgets.
- The department expects to save $261,000 on salaries as the hiring processes move forward with the Trauma System.
- A 1 percent cut in the grants supporting the Community Health Centers, which will be $100,000, and the Charitable Clinics, which amounts to $10,000.
- A 1 percent cut, or $29,000 for supplies for the flu immunization program. The flu vaccine already has been purchases and is in the process of being distributed across the state.
"We will come through this, knowing we are doing what we must to ensure that our mission to improve and protect the health of Arkansans continues in the best way possible, given that the economic circumstances are very difficult," Halverson said.
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