Hullum, Talia and Mihok, Briana
(2013)
Integration of Human Services among Counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania: Five Case Studies.
UNSPECIFIED.
UNSPECIFIED.
Abstract
In July 2012, members of the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics Health and Human Services Committee met to discuss current policy issues. The 2012-2013 budget passed earlier that month by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor included a significant decrease in funding for certain human services line items as well as a new human services block grant (HSBG) pilot program that would be open to 20 counties across the Commonwealth. As a result, the committee discussion centered on how human service delivery would be affected by these changes, and how integration might help or hinder counties as they seek to adapt to the changes. In response, this report considers the following questions: 1) What is the status of counties in Southwestern PA with regard to integration? 2) How has the level of integration affected counties’ ability to either apply for or implement the block grant pilot? 3) Are there lessons to be learned from those counties that have already undergone integration? The Institute of Politics has researched the integration of county human service departments and has conducted interviews with several counties in southwestern Pennsylvania that are in the process of integrating and/or have undergone integration. Many counties have shifted toward an integrative approach to strengthen delivery at the county level and to ensure resilience during times of economic difficulty. Allegheny, Greene, Venango, Washington, Butler, and other counties throughout Pennsylvania have integrated, centralized, and consolidated their offices to improve services. Others, such as Beaver and Westmoreland, operate under a non-integrated model. The concepts that this report will attempt to explain in greater depth are as follows: 1) The level of integration among counties in southwestern PA varies significantly and mirrors the type of variety seen across Pennsylvania. 2) The level of integration may not have bearing on the ability to apply for the block grant but may affect how it is implemented.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[img]](http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png)
![[img]](http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/style/images/fileicons/text_plain.png)
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}