Patrick seeks $72m hike in health aid
Would boost prevention, add 3 inoculations
Governor Deval Patrick announced yesterday that his budget would dramatically increase public health spending next year, adding $72 million to strengthen disease prevention services and provide universal state coverage for three new immunizations for children, including a vaccine to help protect girls from the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
The proposed 15 percent increase for the Department of Public Health, part of the spending plan Patrick will unveil tomorrow, also includes funding for a wide array of disease prevention programs, including an additional $12 million for smoking prevention and cessation, and expands early intervention programs for toddlers and infants.
The announcement delighted public health advocates, who have seen the state's prevention programs depleted by budget cuts in recent years.
"This is very heartening news," said Howard Koh, an associate dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, who served as commissioner of the state Department of Public Health from 1997 to 2003. "These priorities are a major step forward toward reaffirming the priority of public health in our state. We have so much potential with respect to prevention that has been untapped."
But the news was also unexpected in light of the projected $1.3 billion budget gap the state is facing this year. The Globe reported yesterday that Patrick's budget would include little additional money for the state's human service agencies.
"Most of these programs are deserving. The question is, where do you put your priorities?" said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. "I am surprised, given the tight budget, that they've been able to find this much money."
In a statement yesterday, Patrick cast the decision as financially prudent, but did not explain how he would pay for it.
"These programs and services encourage healthy living practices and can prevent serious health problems in the future," the statement said. "These investments not only save lives, but also reduce treatment costs in the future."
During last year's campaign, Patrick occasionally discussed disease prevention and children's health, but he gave far more prominence to issues such as early education, economic development, local aid, and public safety. Administration sources last week said that he planned to spend just $13 million to turn about 800 of the state's 1,500 half-day kindergarten classrooms into full-day programs, and that he would provide about $200 million more for public education next year -- less than some communities may have hoped.
In an interview yesterday, JudyAnn Bigby, health and human services secretary, said she was determined to restore the reputation of the nation's oldest state public health department.
"As a result of all the cuts the department has received over the last few years, we went from being one of the most regarded public health departments in the country to one that's not so well-regarded," she said.
The governor's office said his budget for the 2008 fiscal year, which begins July 1, would:
Increase funding for early intervention programs by $3.8 million, which would provide services of social workers, developmental specialists, and other therapists to young children under 3 to meet the expected 2.5 percent increase in demand next year.
Increase funding for health promotion and disease prevention by $21.6 million, a 168 percent increase over this fiscal year, according to the governor's office. Various programs would be consolidated under a single program to improve its reach and efficiency, Bigby said. Among the efforts are breast cancer prevention, prostate cancer screening, stroke awareness, hepatitis C prevention, teen pregnancy prevention, and suicide prevention. The $12 million increase for the state's smoking prevention and cessation program would be the largest since 1999, according to the governor's office.
Increase spending on the state's universal immunization program by $24.8 million, a 67 percent increase over this fiscal year, to add three new vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the governor's office, the money would provide 71,334 infants with a vaccine for rotavirus, which causes severe diarrhea and vomiting; 108,188 children with a vaccine that prevents bacterial meningitis; and 72,126 girls between the ages of 9 and 18 with a human papilloma virus vaccine, which helps prevent sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
The American Cancer Society estimated last year that about 9,700 women would be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2006 and about 3,700 women would die from the disease.
Angus McQuilken , vice president for public relations and government affairs for the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, praised Patrick for proposing universal access to the vaccine.
"Gardasil is the first vaccine that can actually prevent a form of cancer," he said. "This vaccine is an important step forward for women's health, but it will only achieve its potential if it's available to every woman who needs it."
Evelyn Reilly, director of public policy for the Massachusetts Family Institute , a socially conservative advocacy organization, said her group would not object to the state covering the cost of the vaccine "as long as it's voluntary, and the burden is on the government to convince parents that it's a good idea -- and making clear the risks involved, and the lack of long-term testing and verification." But she added, "This is brand new, so to distribute it this widely makes me nervous."
McQuilken said the Patrick administration took an important first step earlier this year by covering it under MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program.
The vaccine has generated controversy in some states because of the aggressive lobbying efforts by
Kyle Sullivan, Patrick's press secretary, said he was not aware of any meetings between Merck and the governor or his senior staff.
Globe correspondent Erin Conroy contributed research to this story.
(Correction: Because of a reporting error, a Page One story yesterday about Governor Deval Patrick's proposal to increase public health spending misstated the first name of Howard Koh, the former state public health commissioner who is now an associate dean of the Harvard School of Public Health.) 