House Speaker Bobby Harrell spoke to the Medical University of South Carolina’s Board of Trustees this morning, painting a bleak picture of state revenues and predicting that the school would see another 7% reduction in state funding during the current fiscal year.
Of course there’s no word yet on whether MUSC President Ray Greenberg is going to help out by forgoing the cool quarter million dollars he gets each year from the state … which is on top of his half million dollar a year hospital salary.
Also, there’s no word yet on whether or not MUSC is going to cut its travel budget, which totaled over $3 million last year, or decide to start showing some fiscal responsibility in any area of its operations.
Finally, there’s no word yet on whether or not our new scissors set (above) can actually cut anything, which sucks because we’re sitting here with a bunch of crayons, construction paper and untapped creativity.
Update – Bobby Harrell is prescient. The State Board of Economic Advisors just approved a 7% across the board cut for the current fiscal year.
By hmmmm December 11, 2008 at 8:55 pm
What I don’t understand is why should Greenberg forego his state salary. He is running a 2 billion dollar operation, which receives minimal state funding by most standards, but has to put up with the general assembly, regulators, and critics more than most. Quality people come @ a quality price, and I bet if you looked @ UGA,UNC, UT, UF, and UVA medical schools, you would find that his pay is not out of line, but likely below his peers. Should the Governor forego his salary (unlike most people he has a free house and food compliments of the taxpayers, and he can certainly afford to)? I don’t disagree that the travel budget seems high, but were those private or public dollars? It seems only fair to know that.
By John December 11, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I understand the comment by hmmmmm, but what you do not understand is that MUSC is being run into the ground through mismanagement. Read the other blogs to better understand what I mean. The ART, losing money! The MUSC Excellence waste of taxpayer money. The continued leases of off site buildings while empty space exists on campus. The furloughs of employees! I believe the salary is partially public and some private. However, it is diffficult to unravel that thread as both salaries come from public coffers.
By Ray December 11, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Email received from Ray Greenberg today:
Dear Friends,
I want to thank all of you for your resilience and determination in continuing to move the Medical University mission forward, despite these trying times. Your dedication to excellence remains the cornerstone in serving the needs of our state and beyond.
Today we received word from the South Carolina Budget and Control Board regarding an additional seven percent in funding cuts to all state institutions. At the Medical University, we fully understand the budgetary constraints created by falling state revenues. Our plan for dealing with the last round of budget cuts included a cushion to deal with an additional five percent in lost state funding, so most of today’s cuts are covered by that plan. We will immediately begin the process of exploring additional opportunities for savings.
We are confident that the Medical University will emerge from these current financial challenges as a more focused and efficient organization, especially given the passion and commitment of our faculty, students and staff.
With great appreciation for all you do,
Ray Greenberg
By Ray December 11, 2008 at 11:07 pm
We were also sent this letter to forward to the legislators:
Dear Faculty,
Tuesday the Senate adopted the attached letter for communicating with our state representatives about the effect of budget cuts on MUSC. In addition to the information received today about further budget cuts, we may face additional cuts in July. The attached letter suggests increasing the tax on cigarette purchases to help fund MUSC support.
The Senate asks that you personalize contents of this letter and contact your own representatives as a private citizen, since individual letters will have greater influence than the one letter
sent from the Faculty Senate. In addition to your representatives, please consider sending letters to The Honorable Hugh Leatherman, Chairman of the Finance Committee, and The Honorable Dan Cooper, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. If you choose to send letters to our representatives, please do NOT use MUSC letterhead for this purpose.
Thanks go to Carola Neumann and Perry Halushka for coordinating this project.
Thank you for participating,
Walter Limehouse
President, Faculty Senate
Dear State Representative,
I am writing to you as a private citizen of South Carolina to both raise your awareness and express my sincere concerns about the implications and repercussions that the current and any additional budget cuts to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) would have for the citizens of South Carolina.
Despite the fact that state funding of MUSC has steadily declined over the past 8 years and our current state funding is now as low as it was in the eighties, MUSC has adapted to these financial constraints and has continued to ensure excellence in education, health care and research. MUSC has grown into a critical economic resource and institution for the health and well being for the citizens of South Carolina. However, the most recent dramatic budget cuts may significantly endanger the quality of healthcare, research and education provided by MUSC.
MUSC holds a unique position among the institutions of higher education in SC.
a) Despite these financial reductions, MUSC generates $17 for each state dollar invested via clinical revenues and research grants.
b) MUSC is the major health care provider for the citizens of the state. MUSC physicians provide care at 138 outreach clinics in 31 cities and it is a tertiary referral center for complicated and severely ill patients. MUSC also provides $130 million of unfunded medical care yearly. The care provided by MUSC’s clinical services has been recognized as ranking as high as number one nationally in renal transplants and pediatric care.
c) MUSC has doubled its research grant funding over the past 10 years, resulting in the hiring of new faculty and staff, which in turn generates new tax revenues and economic growth for the state via the discoveries that are patented and licensed.
However, recent financial restrictions are beginning to endanger MUSC’s high quality of health care, research and education.
a) MUSC carries the largest financial burden for the treatment of unfunded South Carolinians.
b) MUSC cannot compensate for a decrease in funding by raising tuition, compared to other schools including USC and Clemson because of the small size of the student body. However, MUSC will be forced to increase the tuition in its six colleges next year, placing an increased burden on its students and their families.
c) MUSC currently receives only 40% of the Mission Resources Required that is estimated it needs by the Commission on Higher Education. Thus, MUSC is already severely under funded for its education mission as estimated by the commission.
A further budget cut will therefore;
a) result in a further reduction of teaching staff and more importantly, the number of students that may enroll and be trained at our campus. In turn, fewer students from the state will be admitted in favor of freeing up slots for out-of state-students who pay higher tuition. The number of South Carolina health Care providers will diminish.
b) result in a decrease in quality health care providers for the state, which will increase the population of untreated South Carolinians. Such circumstances will make South Carolina less attractive to people considering a move here, in particular wealthy retirees, out of state baby boomers, who look to retire in SC. This will result in a further decrease in tax dollars
c) result in a decreased faculty and research enterprise, which will decrease the size of the work force, discoveries, intellectual property, economic growth and negatively impact the local and state economy
In this current fiscal climate, the State must find new revenues to support its critical missions; educating its citizens and providing health care. South Carolina ranks 51st in the nation in its cigarette tax (7 cents), whereas the nation’s median cigarette tax is $1. South Carolina is also ranked extremely low for providing smoking education for its citizens and has a very large and disproportionate burden of smoking related illnesses. This load is passed on to the South Carolina taxpayer, in the form of uninsured patients, lost productivity and a major financial burden.. We need to reduce the number of smokers in the state. It is time to raise the cigarette tax and use it to provide the financial resources that the state must use to support the education and health of its citizens.
I strongly advocate that the new revenue generated by an increase in cigarette tax be used to increase the funding for Medicaid and establish programs for the education of health care providers and funding of smoking related illnesses. Establishing these programs will provide additional revenues that will in turn offset some of the budget cuts that MUSC has had to absorb and will allow us to sustain our education, research and health care missions. Increasing the cigarette tax would benefit the state budget and enhance the efforts to provide education and treatment for smoking-related illnesses.
Sincerely,
Your Signature
DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR MUSC TITLE/RANK
By WMD December 12, 2008 at 12:42 am
Who is your rat Sic(KKK) Willie? No media was at this meeting. The only way you could know is that some person from MUSC told you.
By Wow December 12, 2008 at 2:33 am
WMD: You are correct, the media was not there so it was not very difficult to figure out who the news came from. James Betram, you do not exist. Willy, 99.99% of the stuff posted has been BS as you well know. Most generated by two former employees. Nice try Willie but you have been caught on this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Jenny D December 12, 2008 at 8:11 am
It has been a real long night. Five badly sick patients and my old car would not start. dead. I need to get home cause mother goes to work at sevn and 2 kids go to school. My baby was born 3 months after my husband was killed by a drunk driver. I love the kids and my job. I worry what all these budget cuts will mean for me and my kids. My hands shake when my superviser looks at me and I wonder if i am going to get the ax.
I make 38 thousand dollars a year. That’s not what I believe like the rich doctor. Its what i know cause every dollar means food or heat for my family and i have to track it all. I work a hole lot more then 3o hours a week to make extra money when I can so someday maybe i can save money for their schooling.
I want to be Dr. Greenberg’s friend please. I will work in a box standing on my head with a smile and no one will be mad at me and write bad things about me in public I will treat them so well. it can not be that hard to talk to people for a few minute for a day a week and get that much money, can it. If this senior lady doctors job is open cause she is moving to another job in some neww building, will her old job be posted this time?
Jenny
By James the Foot Soldier December 12, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Why weren’t the media invited to hear the exalted leader speak? What the hell is the vaunted MUSC public relations department doing if not rolling out their leader to show how much he “cares”?
No one in your previous posts have ever logically answered the question of why an insitution operating as a monopoly needs such large public relations/marketing departments?
Here’s a hint Dr. Greenburg – provide top notch quality care with a patient centric focus and folks will flock to your institution without the need to spend cajillions of dollars on glitzy PR/Marketing campaigns!
Why does it cost so much more to get care at MUSC than at Roper or St. Francis? GINORMOUS OVERHEAD!!
By blue dog December 12, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Jimmy Foot, you’re not in the upper echelon at MUSC who has benefitted from the sweat and fix of PR and marketing. You also do not understand what drives media these days — money and preservation of their representatives’ jobs.
I suggest you go public — to the mainstream — and express your views. Otherwise, your frustrations are as wasted as the rest of ours.
By Bert Flincinger December 13, 2008 at 10:08 am
I think that MUSC is watching this site and keeping up the rhetoric. Jenny, do you have ANY experience in “podcasting”? If so you may qualify for a 126k per year job in a broom closet . . . No, I mean a renovated historic home. Experience needed:
1. Ability to use an ipod.
2. Ability to tell qualified programmers and video directors what to do
3. Ability to only work 1 day per week
4. Ability to surf the web
If this works out, you can use our resources to do your own thing on the other 4 days a week. Of, course, you will get the opportunity to produce hilarious “Conversations with Dr. Greenberg” series for the campus to view and laugh at. If you want to see one of these, go to the MUSC web site (www.musc.edu) and click on Ray Greenberg’s link from the page.
Bert
By James January 11, 2009 at 9:17 pm
They still want us to donate . . .
Dear Colleagues,
The deadline for contributing to the MUSC Employee Furlough Relief Fund is Friday, January 16th. The funds will be allocated to our co-workers most adversely affected by the mandatory furloughs. Currently, $133,000 has been collected towards a goal of $150,000.
You can learn more about the Fund here:
http://academicdepartments.musc.edu/development/news_events/press_releases/furlough_relief.html
To make a tax-deductible gift to the MUSC Employee Furlough Relief Fund, please mail your check to the MUSC Foundation at 18 Bee Street, MSC 180, Charleston, SC, 29425.
Checks should be made payable to the MUSC Foundation.
You can also contribute online:
https://netcommunity.musc.edu/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=208&srcid=183
Your contribution will be most appreciated.
Mary
Mary Mauldin,EdD
Vice President, Faculty Senate