Anne Arundel Health Department flags grant risks, readies measles, flu and behavioral-health responses

Anne Arundel County Department of Health officials told the Board of Health on May 13 that federal grant funding changes present the department’s biggest near-term fiscal risk and that crews are preparing for measles and avian influenza while expanding local prevention and recovery programs.

Health Officer Dr. Tony Gedner opened the department’s annual briefing with a financial overview, saying the department’s operating budget is roughly $93,000,000, with 945 budgeted positions and more than 800 filled. He said the department does not receive federal dollars directly; federal money comes through state pass‑through grants and that some COVID‑era grant reductions have already hit the county. Gedner said the “largest proportion” of federal grant funding supports behavioral health work and that cuts there could threaten harm‑reduction and overdose‑prevention services.

Board members were given program updates and preparedness summaries. The health department described national measles activity and local vaccination monitoring: department staff are watching kindergarten MMR rates to keep them near a 95% target and working with schools to target communications for locations with lower coverage. The department reported three Maryland cases this year and said it is coordinating with hospital partners and school health staff to prepare an operating response should local cases appear.

Officials also described three backyard poultry flocks confirmed with highly pathogenic avian influenza in the county so far this year. The county’s role, Gedner said, is owner outreach and assessing exposure and antiviral needs; the Maryland Department of Agriculture leads field depopulation of affected flocks and notifies the Maryland Department of Health and local health departments.

Behavioral‑health services, a recurring theme in the presentation, drew attention on two fronts: funding vulnerability and program expansion. Gedner and other presenters said a large share of grant funding supports behavioral health and that cuts would disproportionately affect harm‑reduction work. At the same time, the department is expanding programs: a countywide youth‑led vaping prevention campaign with Anne Arundel County Public Schools; an expanded gun‑violence interruption team (GVIT) operating in Eastport and proposed for West County; and a “community health ambassadors” program that conducts outreach, referrals and mental‑health training in multiple languages.

On substance use, the department reported a notable year‑over‑year decline in opioid overdoses and fatal overdoses countywide but stressed the decline has not been evenly shared across populations. Officials highlighted vending machines that dispense naloxone and other harm‑reduction supplies and said the county has dispensed more than 3,000 Narcan kits from the machines and is planning expansion of machine sites aligned to overdose hotspots.

Board members were also briefed on operational improvements: an online food‑service license renewal system will be available soon to reduce in‑person visits; school health staffing improvements and expanded services including vision exam partnerships; and continued work on lead and asthma interventions. Health equity and community engagement work — including monthly public forums and a maternal‑infant task force — were described as ongoing priorities.

Why this matters: Department leaders emphasized that many county public‑health services depend on state pass‑through grants. That funding model creates local budget uncertainty if states or the federal government cut grant lines, especially for behavioral‑health programs that the department said are most exposed. The department asked the board to weigh program priorities and to support sustaining investments that have reduced overdoses and increased outreach to underserved communities.