Our View

Our View

‘Bold, innovative and comprehensive’ revamp of DHS long overdue

The state’s largest and costliest agency, the $8.3 billion, 7,400 employee Department of Human Services (DHS) has been riddled with serious issues, has wasted millions of our tax dollars in its failed attempt to manage the state’s version of Obamacare, has been plagued with problems in its other areas of responsibility, and it is just now that we’re hearing from a top politician that it is time for a major overhaul.

At a request from Gov. Asa Hutchinson in mid-December, Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin has just now released his recommendations that he describes as a “bold, innovative and comprehensive” reorganization of the DHS that will better serve the state’s most vulnerable citizens and save taxpayer dollars.

“Scrap ‘em all (silo-prone divisional structure)” and start over with a client-centered approach under the umbrella of DHS,” Griffin said and added, the current divisional organization promotes poor interaction among units, leaving them isolated from broader concerns.

Let us, once again, point out that the DHS under its current structure includes divisions for aging and adult services, behavioral health services, child care and early-childhood education, children and family services, community service and nonprofit support, county operations, developmental disabilities services, medical services, services for the blind, and youth services. When it was revealed several months ago how DHS botched the sign-up system for the state’s health care program and the resignation of the department’s former director John Selig it was apparent that Gov. Hutchinson had to do something, and quickly.

The recommendations come on the heels of Hutchinson hiring Cindy Gillespie in February, a former health care adviser to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, as the department’s new director at a record setting $280,000 a year salary – up from Selig’s $162,147 a year – starting March 1.

Also, Hutchinson revealed his proposed 2017 $5.3 billion budget that includes $111 million more tax dollars for DHS which will be earmarked to additional fund Medicaid, Children and Family Service Division and the Division of Behavioral Health’s budget.

It will be interesting to see if Hutchinson endorses Griffin’s 15 recommendations ranging from shifting any investigations of child maltreatment by the department’s Children and Family Services Division to the Arkansas State Police’s Crimes Against Children Division, to the Arkansas State Police’s Crimes Against children Division, to establishing an office of legislative affairs at DHS to improve that with the Legislature.

Furthermore, we are certainly interested in how Gillespie fits into all this and what her exact recommendations are as they relate to Griffin’s recommendations as well as the changes being proposed by Hutchinson.

Oh, and let’s not forget lawmakers will have to put their two-cents into the mix as well.

BIBLE VERSE

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name

6:5-6

Matthew