Health Department budget steady; doula program delayed, RFP to target groups and equity
The Milwaukee Health Department requested a modest 1.5% increase for 2027 and described program shifts including a delayed doula rollout due to insurance/legal concerns; the department will issue a tiered RFP targeting both larger providers and smaller community groups and coordinate with the state on credentialing and Medicaid pathways.
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City budget staff and Health Department leadership presented the department’s proposed 2027 budget, noting an overall increase of about 1.5 percent from the adopted 2026 budget and a number of positions shifting between grant and levy support. Commissioner Toto Reyes told the committee the department deferred purchase of certain private‑stock COVID and flu vaccine supplies to focus public resources toward uninsured and underinsured residents and to rely more on partner providers for insured populations. "We're still planning to issue that RFP," Reyes said of the doula procurement now expected to favor group contracts over individual contractors because of insurance and city legal concerns.
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