In shocking recent news, the Trump Administration decided to make funding cuts to mental health and substance abuse grants. This amounted to $2 billion, adversely impacting the U.S. public health system. For so many Americans, it could now be difficult to receive funding for support of their mental health conditions. It also means so many organizations could lose their funding, which means many people could lose their jobs. One Arizona woman was fired and then rehired due to these cuts. The back-and-forth she endured at the hands of this Administration is very revealing of what so many people are dealing with at this moment.
Dajana (@dajanatanasic) posted an initial video of a meeting she had with her workplace after the funding cuts were announced. She works in mental health services in Arizona, and grant cancellations led to so many of her co-workers losing their jobs. In the video, her presumed boss announces,“All right folks, well, I don’t have good news.” She lays out the facts for Dajana and the other employees, saying it’s not a “performance termination. This is an administration termination.” You can feel the heartbreak as you see Dajana look around the room, panicked, wondering what this means for her future.
Since that video, all we know is that Dajana lost her job due to the funding cuts. For an administration that says they’re making lots of new jobs in our economy, it seems like they’re doing as much work to cut the ones that already exist. Dajana since posted an update video after being asked by multiple commenters, “Who did you vote for?” Though she didn’t explicitly answer that, she did say she doesn’t believe in “conditional empathy.” This means you can still have empathy for someone despite their choices, such as voting for a specific person. However, she did say she supports immigration, education, childcare, women’s rights, and more. You can probably make an assumption from that.
Dajana’s journey didn’t end there, however. In an astounding turn of events, her company called her back the day after her termination. They decided to rehire her, as well as their other employees who had previously lost their jobs due to funding cuts. Apparently, the grant funding was reinstated. It turns out, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration decided to reinstate the funding, leaving many organizations feeling vastly confused. Seeing as some of the country’s most vulnerable people are affected, these are incredibly scary times. For somebody like Dajana, she says she’s “super excited and grateful.” However, the whole thing left her feeling “drained and exhausted.” It truly feels like whiplash, leaving so many questions about the future of these services.
One commenter pointed out what so many of us are likely thinking. “It creates so much unsteadiness within you. Even if you got it back. It doesn’t feel stable. And you were shown how quickly it can be taken away. I’m so sorry.” Is this the end of the back-and-forth regarding the funding cuts? Only time will tell.
