Mississippi Department of Health may cut maternity services (on coast!)

[Maddy McCall]

July 9, 2006

Agency may cut maternity services

Health Department allowed employee contracts to expire last month to cut costs

By Joshua Cogswell
[e-mail]


The state Department of Health may cut maternity services and other programs in some parts of the state after discontinuing contracts for many of its workers, The Clarion-Ledger has learned.

The department allowed the contracts for dozens of employees to expire last month in a cost-cutting move for the new budget year that started this month. The contract workers filled in the gaps Health Department staffers could not handle.

The latest move will further deplete already lean district and county health offices.

A four-month investigation by The Clarion-Ledger published last month showed that the staffing of front-line workers - like restaurant and wastewater inspectors, nurses, disease intervention specialists and others - has declined since Dr. Brian Amy took over as state health officer in October 2002.

snip/

... Documents obtained by The Clarion-Ledger show the elimination of contract workers may mean cuts in maternity services, particularly in District 9, the six-county coastal region.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060709/NEWS/607090386
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Two points I'd like to raise:

1) Mississippi suffers the highest infant mortality rate in the US.

2) Don't think that this could never happen in your state. Governor Haley Barbour is implementing a neocon policy that will spread like a virus to other states.

[dflprincess]

1. This is just a guess

but Haley Barbour "prolife"?

[KingFlorez]

2. And they claim to be pro-life

I guess they make an exception when it'll cost them money

[movonne]

8. Yes, that was the same thing I was thinking...Where is the religious

wrong on this...the more you see going on the more I feel so bad for this country.

[Erika]

12. Republicans have left Christ out of their version of religion

There is only the wrathful God of the Old Testament left in their version of Christianity.

[kestrel91316]

14. They're "Paulians", not Christians. Maybe "Leviticans".

[LiberalFighter]

18. These are the books or letters associated with Paul

Romans
1 Corinthians
2 Corinthians
Galatians
Ephesians
Philippians
Colossians
1 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon

13 out of 27

And he wasn't even a disciple of Jesus and never met him either.

[kestrel91316]

23. The only parts of the bible I have ever paid any attention to are the

Red Letter parts - if you have a red letter bible, it has the words of jesus in red ink. Everything else is senseless, inconsistent, hate-filled drivvel.

[intheflow]

15. I know!

We had a hell of a time last January trying to find a free pregnancy screening for an unemployed schitzophrenic woman made homeless by Katrina. The only places we could find that did pregnancy testing were fundie "pro-life" organizations--even women's medical clinics didn't offer free pregnancy testing. I mean, do they think this woman is going to be a natural, loving, responsible parent when she doesn't have access to pre-natal and mental healthcare, or do they think that Jesus will somehow make her into a fit parent? Maybe they'd force her to have the baby to term and then wretch the child from her after the birth, making another ward of the state? So the child will cost them money anyway in the long run! :grr:

[flamingyouth]

3. Horrible

x(

[Erika]

4. Tax cuts for the rich = cut services for the needy

And republicans call themselves Christians?

[Maddy McCall]

7. Yet in this article a couple of days ago, Barbour boasted a $70M surplus.

Barbour says state ends fiscal year with $70M in the bank

JACKSON, Miss. Governor Barbour says the state of Mississippi ended its fiscal year with 70 (m) million dollars in the bank.

Barbour hasn't made any recommendations on how the money should be spent when lawmakers return for the 2007 regular session in January.

Barbour says much of the significant increase in revenues came from sales taxes.

However, he is cautioning lawmakers that it was not clear how much of the surplus came from nonrecurring tax collections that could not be relied on year after year.

Barbour said when he took office after defeating Democrat Governor Ronnie Musgrove in 2004 that the state was spending 700 (m) million dollars more on recurring expenses than it was receiving in recurring revenue.

More at: http://www.wreg.com/Global/story.asp?S=5115952&nav=3HvE

[aaronbees]

9. Jesus, that's just unbelievable

:(

Who needs healthcare when you can boast of savings? How vile .... And after all people have been through, this looks like it will hit the coastal areas, too. Just amazing and sad.

[Erika]

10. Helping the rich by hurting the poor

The new mantra of the republicans.

[geomon666]

5. It's not like women have to give birth in a hospital.

These gals are strong. They can drop a litter out and do the dishes in the same wash basin. :sarcasm:

[Erika]

11. anti-biotics aren't really necessary either

If God wants you to die, it is His will. If you can't pay for your own medical needs, why should I have to? (Freeper off)

[calico1]

13. Yeah, only the whiny ones need a hospital.

The real women can squat, drop the kid and then get back up and finish their chores. :sarcasm:

Isn't MIssissippi a strong Red state? I sure hope these voters are very happy voting for right wingers.

[bleedingheart]

20. "Deidre will you get that for me"...

[hadrons]

6. I guess they blame Clinton's penis for this

[Rowdyboy]

16. Don't you wish someone would focus attention on what a disaster Barbour

is for Mississippi? He's a cheap medicine show man, peddling bullshit-and the fools continue to buy it.

Lord, I am worn out and tired of living in Mississippi.

[Maddy McCall]

17. Rowdy, I never thought I'd say it.

The past three years have been utter hell. I hate living here.

I pray that we have a good Dem candidate to take him down. ;(

[RCinBrooklyn]

19. But I don't know nuthin 'bout birthin' no babies!!!

[KKKarl is an idiot]

21. Pro-life

What is the use of being pro-life when you have no plan to take care of the baby? What is the use of being against teaching kids about birth control when the get pregnant to tell them it is wrong to abort? These people make me ashamed of calling myself a conservative christian. They do not take the words & writings of Jesus into account. They act like he does not exist. yet the call themselves Christ-ians.

[donsu]

22. the war against women is alive and well in Mississippi

and there are areas in Washington, D.C. that have no pre-natal care or delivery care.