While the full impact is still being evaluated, these cuts could lead to changes to local services as these cuts are happening months prior to when health departments were anticipating their grant funding would end.
“Any loss of resources to provide services to our community is concerning,” said Jennifer Wentzel, health commissioner for Public Health – Dayton & Montgomery County.
What’s at stake
Public Health received notice from the Ohio Department of Health that the federal government is discontinuing funding for a local Enhanced Operations grant, the department said. The loss of funds totals $830,890.
Credit: Submitted
Credit: Submitted
“As the federal government continues to reorganize and prioritize its expenditures, these changes are being felt here in Montgomery County and across the nation,” Wentzel said.
These funds were essential in supporting a variety of ongoing and upcoming initiatives, Public Health said, including to pay for staff to combat the spread of communicable diseases.
The state of Ohio is still seeing numerous cases and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 each week, according to the Ohio Department of Health, including 95 hospitalizations in the most recent week of data.
There were 20 deaths related to COVID-19 in Ohio in the most recent week of state data, which also shows the three-week average is currently about 26 deaths a week.
In addition to viral infections like COVID-19, measles, and bird flu that health departments are watching, the U.S. is also experiencing an increase in tuberculosis, a bacterial infection that primarily affects the lungs, after decades of decline.
Cases of tuberculosis increased in 2023 for the third year since 2020, surpassing pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In 2023, the U.S. reported 9,633 cases of tuberculosis, which was a 15.6% increase compared with 2022, according to the CDC. There were 10,347 cases in 2024, according to provisional CDC data, which is an 8% increase over 2023.
Funding for tech, facility improvements cut
In addition to combating the spread of communicable diseases, the grant funding previously earmarked for Public Health would have gone toward:
- A project to modernize and enhance access to medical records for both patients and health care providers
- A new software system to help coordinate individual community services during an emergency response
- Facility projects to enhance client safety and services
These grant funds were expected to end at the end of this year.
“It’s one thing to plan for the grant to end, but for it to suddenly be cut off presents a lot of challenges for us,” Wentzel said.
To fill in the $830,890 gap, the department will focus on streamlining operations while actively seeking alternative revenue sources, it said.
“Public Health’s leadership is thoroughly assessing the potential impact on our programs and services,” Wentzel said. “While this evaluation may take some time, we are dedicated to understanding the full scope of the situation and minimizing any disruptions.”
Public Health is also evaluating whether there might be any reductions in staff due to the loss in funding.
In 2024, federal funding accounted for approximately 23% of Public Health’s $41.8 million budget, the department said.
In addition to this grant funding being cut off, Public Health may see changes from the federal government’s push to rid the nation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, also referred to as DEI, initiatives.
Public Health has received notice that one of its grants awards is going to change in the latter part of this year, Wentzel said.
“It hasn’t been shared with us what those changes will look like, but it does impact one of those grants that is around our efforts for DEI, which helps to support those that need the greatest help in our community,” Wentzel said.
Federal health jobs cut
As part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s overhaul of the agency he oversees, the federal government plans to lay off 10,000 workers and shut down entire agencies, including ones that oversee billions of dollars in funds for addiction services and community health centers across the country.
The restructuring will improve Americans’ experience with HHS, the federal agency said, by making the agency more responsive and efficient. The agency also said this will allow Medicare, Medicaid, and other health services to remain intact.
“We aren’t just reducing bureaucratic sprawl. We are realigning the organization with its core mission and our new priorities in reversing the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy said. “This department will do more – a lot more – at a lower cost to the taxpayer.”
Some health care providers say its local and state agencies that will be picking up those costs.
“Cutting billions of dollars in federal funding from life-saving services requires already-strained state and local governments to pick up the tab for the public health workforce,” said Rhea Debussy, director of external affairs at Equitas Health.
Equitas Health, a nonprofit health care provider based in Columbus with a location in Dayton, expressed further concerns over both staff and funding cuts at the federal level.
“In just over two months, the White House has cut 20,000 jobs from the public health workforce,” said David Ernesto Munar, president and chief executive officer at Equitas Health. “These cuts are a devastating attack on trusted and effective public health programs.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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