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Daniels County public health officials urge full use of grant funding as operations rely on external grants
Summary
The public health officer told the Board of Health that nearly all local public health operations depend on federal and state grants; county taxpayers provide only about $20,000 a year for public health staffing and operations.
Daniels County’s public health staff updated the Board of Health on March activity and warned commissioners that the department’s operational capacity depends heavily on external grant funding.
Health officer Mary Nye Hughes and county public health staff reviewed pandemic and communicable disease planning updates and described routine public‑health surveillance activities. The health department reported 43 confirmed influenza cases in the county during the reporting quarter from Dec. 29 to March 12. The health officer said she has not received additional official influenza reports since that period but continues to receive other notifiable disease reports through the Montana Infectious Disease Information System.
In a summary for commissioners, county public health leadership emphasized that the department’s annual taxpayer support is small — roughly $20,000 split between two staff for the year — and nearly all routine operations and programs rely on grants. The department urged follow‑through on awarded grant funds because “unused funds not only go back, but they send a message that we may not need the resources we are being awarded,” the public health representative said at the meeting. The department said failing to use awarded funds can jeopardize future award consideration.
Other items in the health update included participation in an Eastern Healthcare Coalition medical surge exercise, updates to the public health directory and weekly epidemiology updates, continued activity on septic inspections and drinking water kit inventories, and local screening and cancer prevention work in partnership across counties. Staff also said a state immunization and emergency preparedness request was filed as required and that they continue to coordinate regional mobile clinics and screening efforts.
The Board of Health report asked commissioners to note the department’s staffing limits and the importance of using allocated grant funding to maintain programs. The department also provided a schedule of upcoming trainings, regional meetings and public‑health exercises. Commissioners did not take formal action during the update but were asked to be aware of the department’s reliance on grant money for operational continuity.
