Two Berkeley health care providers said they may have to sacrifice essential services to offset cuts proposed in Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's May revision to California's budget.

The budget revision proposes cutting $2.6 billion from health and human services statewide, cuts that local providers say would force facility closures, layoffs and reduced hours of operation.

Should the state legislature approve the cuts, non-profit health care provider LifeLong Medical Care, which operates several clinics in Berkeley, would have to close two of its centers and downsize its staff considerably, said the organization's CEO, Marty Lynch.

"A lot of these cuts are ... probably going to cost the state more in the long run," he said. "These are pretty short-sighted attempts to save money."

The organization, which caters to under-served members of the East Bay, would be hit hardest in its dental, podiatry and optometry programs, he said.

The dental program would lose $1 million, or half of its total revenue, according to Lynch. The podiatry program would lose $400,000 and the optometry program would lose

between $50,000 and $100,000.

Alzheimer's Services of the East Bay-Berkeley, which is located two blocks from the UC Berkeley campus, would face similar cuts.

Because the center relies heavily on MediCal payouts, around $1.4 million- about half of its annual budget-would be eliminated under the revision, according to the center's Executive Director, Michael Pope.

She said staff members would be laid off and services like nursing and physical therapy would be reduced if the cuts were approved.

Geri Degan, a social worker at the center, said many families rely on the center to relieve the stress that comes with caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's or dementia at home.

"The devastation to families (would be) unbelievable," she said.

Pope added that the center might consider opening for fewer hours per day, which would inconvenience families with rigid work schedules.

Other state health care programs including Adult Day Health Care and In-Home Supportive Services, would be completely eliminated by the cuts, Lynch said.

H.D. Palmer, State Department of Finance spokesperson, said the drastic cuts to health care are a direct

reflection of the dire economy and were proposed out of fiscal necessity.

"The scope and severity of this recession ... has forced the governor to put proposals on the table that would have been unthinkable just four months ago," he said.

The legislature is working under deadline to pass the revision, Palmer said.

"The state controller said that if we don't get this action resolved by June 15, the state faces the issue of running out of money," he said.

Tags: LIFELONG MEDICAL CENTER, GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER