Town hall to highlight cuts in disability programs

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009

It is part of a statewide effort to publicize the plight of such community services. Forums have already been held in Montgomery, Howard and Anne Arundel counties and several more are scheduled in other parts of Maryland.

"The impact it can make is creating greater awareness because when you see numbers and waiting lists, you don't see people's faces," said Harriet S. Yaffe, executive director of The Arc of Southern Maryland, which is helping to put together the 7 p.m. event at St. John Vianney Family Life Center, which is located at 105 Vianney Lane in Prince Frederick.

"In this case, you see faces and you hear people's stories and it just personalizes the issue."

Programs for the developmentally disabled have been a victim of previous budget cuts this year, sustaining $24 million in reductions so far. And a statewide coalition of developmental disabilities' advocates say more than 19,000 Marylanders are awaiting services, as of July 2009.

Advocates hope to persuade Gov. Martin O'Malley that any more cuts would result in severe repercussions to providers who are already cash-strapped after years of insufficient funding. O'Malley (D) is expected to propose as much as $300 million in reductions at the Nov. 18 Board of Public Works meeting.

Spring Dell Center, which assists individuals with developmental disabilities, has already tightened its belt as far as possible. When the state cut $454 million in August, the center in La Plata got slashed by $200,000.

Even with a $7.3 million budget, Executive Director Donna Retzlaff said at the time that it would have devastating impacts on her staff and patients who depend on the center for vocational and residential services, day programs and transportation for adults with physical and mental disabilities. In response, the center kept a hiring freeze in place, rolled back its business hours from seven to six hours, eliminated midday transportation and reexamined client service funding plans.

Until the most recent funding shortages, human services agencies have always found ways to address the community's needs

"Now, it's almost impossible to do that anymore," Retzlaff said on Monday. "There's no more ‘How to Become More Efficient.' We've reached that already. Now it's just a matter of ‘What other programs am I going to have to maybe discontinue?'"

Still, there may be some cause for optimism amid the fiscal worries. Several lawmakers have said they will back a proposal next year to increase the alcohol tax and dedicate the revenues to the developmentally disabled, although it's unclear if there will be enough support for higher taxes in an election year.

A bill offered in this year's General Assembly session would have used a 5-cent-per-drink tax on alcoholic beverages to generate an estimated $80 million a year for people with developmental disabilities and drug and alcohol addictions. It languished in committee and never received a vote.

"Many of the elected officials understand the position we're in," said Retzlaff. "It's just a matter of figuring out collectively where to go from here."

abrody@somdnews.com