Massachusetts’s New HHS Secretary Faces Growing Problems, Shrinking Budget

Robert Gittens in October took over Massachusetts' Health and Human Services, the state's largest secretariat with oversight of 15 state agencies and more than 23,000 employees, and "inherit[ed] a buzz saw of rising social trauma and shrinking resources," the Boston Herald reports in a profile. A former Department of Youth Services commissioner and "longtime" member of the Boston School Committee, Gittens says that "vulnerable kids" are his priority, adding, "A number of kids are having difficulty and need more structure and services. We've got a responsibility to work together to get kids access to services." In addition, Gittens has named as priorities maintaining "essential" health care services for "the most needy" and providing children with access to mental health care. However, Gittens and other health advocates are "bracing for bad news" regarding the state's overdue budget, predicting up to $100 million in funding cuts for the department (see story 1). Although Gittens expects the budget cuts "to be painful," he said that "HHS can be effective" as an information locator to help clients locate services at community not-for-profit groups (Marantz, Boston Herald, 11/13).