Wednesday, March 26, 2014

'Stovepipes' Abound Among Arlington's Social Services Providers

Hey Yupette,

Yesterday was Budget Public Hearing Night at the County Board. The only surprise was there weren't any surprises, same old non-profits competing with each other to provide services Federal, State of Virginia, and Arlington County government agencies already provide. Sheesh, you would think that Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act didn't exist, you would think the Arlington Agency on Aging didn't exist, you would think the Arlington Department of Human Services (FY 2015 budget - $124.8 million)didn't exist, you would think the Arlington Community Services Board didn't exist, and so on down the list of government social services agencies. That doesn't count the services school age children receive through the school system and services that everyone receives from the non-government healthcare system. Talk about 'stovepipes' we have dozens among the various social services providers. How much of what they do has a significant effect on the people they say they serve? Just wondering.

Ruth, 22207

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, has the Affordable Care Act made any difference in the demand for free clinic services?

Anonymous said...

Let's see...$124.8 million divided by Arlington's population of 215,000 equals $580

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have any idea how many non-profit bureaucracies are competing with each other, government bureaucracies, and private sector bureaucracies to deliver the same services?

Anonymous said...

How about a feature about who's on the boards of the social service non-profits and how much their total compensation (if any) is?