The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Copyright 2013 Budget Cuts Continue to Affect the Health of Americans

continued on reverse BACKGROUND Federal, state and local government budget cuts are jeopardizing a decade of significant gains made by state and territorial health agencies (SHAs). Critical SHA programs and services have been cut or reduced, staff positions have been eliminated and many staff have been laid off or furloughed. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has been following this trend since 2008, when it initiated a longitudinal study to investigate the impact of budget cuts on SHAs and the people they serve. BUDGET CUTS Fifty-two agencies (48 states, 3 territories, and DC) have reported budget cuts since July 2008 (figure 1). Th