BATON ROUGE (AP) — The public took its turn Friday to ask Louisiana’s senators for money in next year’s budget. And the requests poured in, big and small, but largely centered on health care, which is slated to be cut by nearly $400 million next year.

People who rely on state services, leaders of the hospitals and nursing homes that provide care, community activists and lobbyists packed the committee room, spilling into the hall as they waited their turn to make a pitch to the Senate Finance Committee.

Brandon Jones, a college student, asked for a pittance compared to the overall size of the $27.9 billion budget. Jones sought $350,000 for the Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network, or LATAN, a program that works with disabled people to find technology that can help them work, study or cope with daily life.

Jones had a motorcycle accident that left him with a paralyzed right foot.

‘‘In order for me to be independent still, I need a left foot accelerator for my vehicle,’’ Jones said, describing the device LATAN helped him get. ‘‘The services they provide are invaluable to people like me because I don’t have anyone else.’’

Steve Kauffman, with the Advocacy Center, which provides legal services to people with disabilities and to senior citizens, asked for money for an ombudsman program that helps disabled people who live in group homes. Kauffman said the program faces a $388,000 cut, or about 40 percent less than what it got this year.

‘‘We expected a cut because everyone is having to kind of tighten the belt. But 40 percent is a little bit much,’’ he said.

Others asked for the expansion of a program that provides home- and community-based services for the developmentally disabled. Still others asked for money for food banks, a rural hospital telemedicine program and a crisis intervention program that teaches law enforcement officers how to handle mentally ill people in crisis situations.

The committee, which is reviewing the House-passed budget bill, is expected to make changes to the budget next week. Senators were sympathetic to the requests Friday but also acknowledged there were far more requests than they could afford.

‘‘We heard a lot of wishes and a lot of wants, and I think the committee has to go back to basic needs,’’ said Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, vice chair of the committee. ‘‘There are a lot of basic unmet needs in this budget.’’

The 2009-10 budget for the year that begins July 1 has deep cuts to public colleges and health care as a way to cope with an expected $1.3 billion drop in state general fund money.

Lawmakers are weighing whether to delay tax breaks or tap the ‘‘rainy day’’ fund to help stave off cuts, but the ideas have met opposition from Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Much of the public attention has centered on the higher education cuts, and the Finance Committee dedicated a day of public testimony Thursday to requests for funding the colleges.

But hefty cuts also would fall on health care. The state Department of Health and Hospitals’ $8 billion proposed budget next year would slice $382 million from the Medicaid program for the poor, elderly and disabled — the largest spending area in health care. The budget slashing largely would be levied on the hospitals and nursing homes that provide care.

‘‘Please help us. This is not a story anymore about crying wolf,’’ said John Matessino, president of the Louisiana Hospital Association.

Hospital officials say the cuts could force 3,700 layoffs around the state. They say the health care industry is the largest employer in Louisiana and cuts to health care could damage not only patient care, but local businesses and jobs.

Health and Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine said more details should be considered, however.

He said even with the cuts, the hospitals still would be receiving more money from the state than they did two years ago, and he said the hospitals were slated to get a one-time $213 million lump sum payment this year to help them cope with revenue losses caused by hurricanes.

‘‘Some of the providers that came up here and testified today are pretty profitable hospitals,’’ Levine said.