A Blue Ridge Health District official told the Charlottesville City Council on Sept. 15, 2025, that federal public-health grant funding that underpins many local services is shrinking or in flux and that the district is planning for further reductions.
The presenter said the district’s grant funding for the current fiscal year is roughly $1.8 million, with WIC accounting for about $738,000 and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) grant about $260,000. The district reported losing about $2.9 million in COVID-related federal funding that had been expected to extend through June 2027; the presenter said those losses led to 15 positions being eliminated.
The official told councilors the COVID grant losses and other proposed federal cuts affect disease investigation, community health‑worker outreach, epidemiology and emergency response. The district described specific program exposures: roughly $31,000 in family‑planning funding tied to physician and nurse support noted as “at risk,” a $5,600 reduction absorbed for a disease‑intervention specialist, and a possible national public‑health preparedness reduction that could translate to about $260,000 locally if a proposed $385 million national cut passes.
The presenter described how cuts translate to fewer office hours for community health workers and reduced local capacity to investigate outbreaks in congregate settings such as long‑term care facilities and schools. He said the district has handled recent responses—for example, a meningococcal cluster and a linked two‑case measles response earlier in the year—by leveraging partnerships with UVA Health and Sentara to limit spread, but that such responses are resource intensive.
The district speaker said local strategy includes trying to move some grant‑funded positions to more stable funding streams—city, state or cooperative budgets—and working with local partners on the community health improvement plan. Councilors asked about autonomy between state and federal policy and whether the district is preparing for a possible federal government shutdown; the presenter said state law (Code of Virginia) governs many school-vaccine requirements, that the state recently issued a standing order removing the prescription requirement for pharmacists to administer COVID vaccine for eligible people, and that the district has contingency plans to preserve pay periods for a limited time if federal grant dollars are delayed.
Councilors asked about the district’s request levels to localities and timing for budget conversations; the presenter said district requests in recent years were in the single-digit percentage range per locality and that future requests will be calibrated to stabilize key roles if federal funds do not materialize.
The presentation closed with a focus on social determinants of health—housing, food access, transportation—and the district’s intent to prioritize community health workers and other prevention strategies as funding allows.