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Brewer blasted for "stunning display of hypocrisy" on Child Health Day

MONDAY, 04 OCTOBER 2010

By Mary K. Reinhart

The Arizona Guardian

Gov. Jan Brewer proclaimed Monday Arizona Child Health Day, but children's advocates say her actions speak louder than her words.

At a press conference in front of Maricopa Medical Center, the governor said it is time "to rededicate ourselves to Arizona's children."

"It is our civic responsibility to emphasize that good, healthy lifestyle habits start first with the very young," Brewer said.

But since Brewer took office in January 2009, she has:

• Frozen enrollment for KidsCare health insurance program, ($24.5 million, 70,000 children on the waiting list)
• Eliminated children's behavioral health services, ($9.3 million, 4,200 lost services)
• Reduced services for developmentally disabled, ($9.3 million, 300 children)
• Cut Children's Rehabilitative Services, ($3.6 million, 850 children)
• Eliminated high-risk prenatal care services and follow-up, ($2.9 million)
• Disqualified families with children from cash assistance, ($29.2 million, 10,000 families caring for 17,000 children)
• Imposed a variety of cuts on the Department of Economic Security that, among other things, eliminated peer mentoring for foster children and counseling for newly adoptive families, eliminating grandparent kinship care program, cut emergency services and domestic violence shelter beds, ($25.6 million)
• Capped enrollment for child care subsidies, leaving about 20,000 of the 48,000 eligible children without subsidies, ($16.5 million)

In addition, the governor offered the following proposals in her 2011 budget that were not enacted:

• Eliminate health coverage for 310,500 Arizonans including 11,700 children, ($1 billion)
• Eliminate the Department of Juvenile Corrections, ($68 million, 450 juveniles and 1,000 state employees)

Brewer was greeted outside the hospital by a small group of sign-carrying protesters, including parents who lost KidsCare coverage for their children and Dana Naimark, CEO of Children's Action Alliance.

"It's great that she is making a commitment to children's health," Naimark said. "But if you really wanted to make a commitment to children's health, you would bring back KidsCare."

Arizona is the only state in the country that has limited KidsCare coverage. The number of children on the plan has gone from a high of about 48,000 to less than 28,000.

Brewer's Democratic opponent for governor also joined the fray, calling Brewer's proclamation "a stunning display of hypocrisy."

"Her cuts to children's health care and education are the meanest and most devastating Arizona has ever experienced," Goddard said in a press release.

During her remarks, Brewer said it was "our civil responsibilitity to emphasize that good, healthy lifestyle habits start first with the very young."