This past week, i found out that our Citywide & Community Focus Center, which provides intensive case management services to over 700 of the MOST SEVERE & CHRONICALLY MENTALLY ILL PATIENTS in the city of San Francisco, was the target of DPH's (Department of Public Health) largest proposed budget cuts for any outpatient mental health clinic in the city.
Wow! It just doesn't make sense. Imagine how much more it would cost the city if our 700-plus clients lose vital services--spikes in hospital & emergency costs, increased homelessness, and possibly crime. I think it may even affect the tourist industry in San Francisco given that many of our clients live in/near the Tenderloin area which is right next to the hub of San Francisco's major tourist attraction: Union Square/Powell St./Cable Car...
As is often the case in economically troubled times, those who are most marginalized and poor suffer the most. "The measure of a civilization is how it treats its weakest." I wonder if the current proposed budget cuts reflect what is best about San Francisco.
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