Advocates Warn of Florida Budget Cuts Substance Abuse on Some Programs - Article Example

Article Analysis Robin William’s articled Advocates Warn of Florida Budget Cuts In Mental Health, Substance Abuse Programs details how Florida’ rising deficit may lead to budget cuts in government-funded mental health treatment programs. Earlier in the year, new research was conducted that demonstrated that the mental health programs had significant preventative benefits, so many proponents of the programs had hoped that this would motivate decision-makers to retain the programs on functional and financial grounds.

However, recently the article indicates that the state of Florida announced they are facing a $3 billion dollar deficit and as a result, the mental health programs could be cut by as much as thirty to fifty percent by the Florida House and the Florida Senate. The current House plan is to cut over $172 million, while the Senate has a proposal for $205 million in cuts.  While the article does mention research that states recent statistical analysis states that the programs that might be cut have demonstrated significant preventative value, it doesn’t elucidate on these findings.

While mental health programs should be of the utmost concern and valued as highly as other medical programs, one would hope to see some fiscal responsibility and proof of effectiveness.