Correction: An earlier version of article made an incorrect statement about job cuts at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute. These state employees would become employees of Wellpath Recovery Solutions when API is privatized. The article has been updated to reflect the change.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s budget proposes to cut 15 state jobs in Juneau, according to a list of deleted job positions sent from the governor’s office to the Empire.
On Wednesday, Management and Budget Director Donna Arduin said the budget proposes to cut 625 full-time jobs, and that number increases to more than 700 when non-permanent positions are considered.
[Dunleavy budget proposal proposes to eliminate hundreds of jobs]
Anchorage would bear the brunt of cuts with 352 jobs being cut.
The majority of these cuts would occur at the Alaska Psychiatric Institute, which is in the process of being privatized and run by Wellpath Recovery Solutions. 346 jobs would be cut at API, at least from the state’s roster. These state employees would eventually become Wellpath employees under a contract with the state. If Wellpath is successful in running API in the interim, Wellpath would take full responsibility of the facility on July 1. API falls under the Department of Health and Social Services, but it is a hospital where patients receive court-ordered treatment.
In Kenai, 46 positions would be cut. All of them would corrections officers at Wildwood Correctional Complex.
In Nome, 18 jobs would be lost, all of them being juvenile justice positions at the Nome Youth Facility.
Contact reporter Kevin Baird at 523-2258 or kbaird@soundpublishing.com. Follow him on Twitter at @alaska_kev.
