According to a press release sent by the SEIU, “nurses, doctors, patients, health advocates, members of the Board of Supervisors, and community allies” were expected to rally at the front steps of City Hall front steps in support of psychiatric services at San Francisco General Hospital, which have taken a hit during recent budget cuts.
The psychiatric services budget, which currently stands at $1.1 million, helps take care of around 750 patients according to SFGate. The entire service was almost shut down earlier this year, but was spared. Now, the budget stands to fall by about $100,000. The nurses, doctors, and patients who organized the event say the program is already stretched thin, and that the budget cuts will lower the number of available psychiatric beds at the hospital.
Learn more about the cuts, and hear the stories of two patients at SFGate here.
