Department of Health Would Merge, Consolidate to Lose 1,600 Jobs

Under fire from lawmakers, the Florida Department of Health has proposed a sweeping plan to reorganize --- and shrink -- its operations. Among other things, it would move the state out of the primary-care business.

The recommendations, released in a 154-page report, call for cutting 1,608 department jobs and consolidating dozens of divisions and bureaus. One of the proposals would buck the powerful doctors' lobby by lifting a requirement that the department secretary be a physician.

The reorganization would lead to many department duties being shifted to other state agencies, privatized or eliminated altogether.

In one major change, the report calls for the state to stop paying for primary-care services at county health departments. The proposal would save about $22.3 million and comes as some state officials want to rely more on federally qualified health centers to provide primary care.

http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/department-of-health-would-merge-consolidate-to-lose-1600-jobs