Fulton could cut spending on Grady by $25 million | www.myajc.com

Fulton County may cut $25 million in funding for Grady Memorial Hospital next year — a cut the hospital says could devastate programs for the mentally ill, the poor and other vulnerable groups.

The hospital already faces steep federal and state budget cuts, and combined, the reductions could cost Grady nearly $100 million in funding to care for Atlanta’s poor and uninsured.

The losses could force Grady to shutter neighborhood clinics, increase co-pays, limit access to specialty care and cut jobs, Grady CEO John Haupert said in an exclusive interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It could also mean more pressure on county-funded health clinics.

“It’s concerning to me that the neediest in this community are the ones paying for budget shortfalls,” Haupert said.

The cuts, however, aren’t final.

County Commission Chairman John Eaves said he hopes to restore Grady’s funding before a final 2014 budget is approved in January. He’s proposed a new property tax dedicated to the hospital.

“There’s a strong possibility that an alternative revenue source will be generated to make sure that cut does not occur,” Eaves said.

But it’s unclear whether a majority of commissioners will support the new levy. And if they do, it could spark a backlash in the General Assembly, which prohibited Fulton from raising property taxes earlier this year.

State Rep. Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, doubts Fulton can legally impose a new tax. He thinks the county can balance its budget by other means.

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