Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 2, 1994 TAG: 9409020076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A year and a half ago, 21 people worked in the Southwest Regional Office for the Virginia Health Department. Now there are 10.
At least three of those will leave for Richmond by Christmas. The Women's, Infants and Children federal supplemental nutrition program is being centralized in the state capital.
The Department of Emergency Services office also closed in July, ending the job of a public assistance representative.
``We don't know who's going to be here tomorrow,'' said a worker in the regional health operations office in the Commonwealth Building across from Roanoke's City Hall. ``We've heard we'll be working out of our homes.''
Professional staff members have been helping the remaining two secretaries answer telephones, she said.
Workers in epidemiology, tuberculosis control and smoking cessation are based out of the operations office.
Employees interviewed would not allow their names to be published. Fear increases and morale diminishes as jobs are moved, or cut, as Clarke's and his staff's were, they said.
"Morale is extremely low for those who still have jobs," one worker said. "You watch people you work with leave, and you don't know if you'll have a job."
The cuts were made to increase the health division's efficiency, said a July memorandum to district directors from Dr. Donald Stern, acting state health commissioner.
The changes involved the elimination of 17 positions statewide and saved $1.2 million, said Stern, who is a former director of the Roanoke Health Department.
Dr. Molly Rutledge, who oversees both the Alleghany and Roanoke health departments, said the state goings-on are confusing, but she doubts the local health departments will be affected much.
Since localities pay almost half of the cost of the departments, cutbacks in them would not save the state much, she said.
A number of state workers who lost their jobs have been able to obtain other state jobs by forcing out workers with less seniority. But the domino effect of that means someone eventually loses, they said.
"The ones that are bumping others aren't exactly being received with open arms in their new places," a woman explained.
No one in state government could say how many jobs are being eliminated or moved out of Western Virginia. Each department is keeping its own tally, administration staff officials said.
In the Division of Public Health Nutrition, which includes WIC, there is a net loss of only one job, said Director Margaret Tate.
"I'm allowed 44 full-time equivalents, and I will have 43 positions," she said.
The state pays monthly rent of $26,830 to Roanoke city for 33,748 square feet of office space in the Commonwealth Building.
The city has heard nothing about offices closing, an official said. The current lease runs through June30, 2005, but funding for it has to be appropriated by each General Assembly.
by CNB