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Will County Health Department says $1 million respiratory surveillance grant impacted by state clawback; future funding unclear
Summary
Will County Health Department staff told a county committee that a $1 million respiratory surveillance grant has been impacted by state notification of a federal clawback, and the department is exploring ARPA reallocation and contingency plans.
Elizabeth Pilata, program lead at the Will County Health Department, told a county committee that the department received notice from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) that the Respiratory Surveillance and Outbreak Response Grant has been impacted by recent federal funding clawbacks.
Pilata said the grant was a two-year award totaling $1,000,000 ($500,000 per year) that ran through July 1, 2026, and that IDPH has not yet specified the full extent of reductions. “We are not certain of the full impacts of the grant terminations on our public health operations,” Pilata said she was quoting from IDPH’s memo. Pilata added that IDPH had not issued a stop-work order and the health department continues to provide services while awaiting further information.
Committee members asked whether the county would lose the entire $1,000,000; Pilata said the department does not yet know how much will be recovered and is exploring alternate funding and staffing options. Pilata said the grant primarily funded a larger communicable disease investigation workforce and support staff, and that any reduction would be a setback for the county’s communicable disease program.
Pilata said the health department is working with human resources, union stewards and staff on contingency planning and will present a plan to the Board of Health in April and report back to the county committee in May. She also said the department has queried whether ARPA funds could be reallocated to cover the shortfall and that communicable disease work already sits within an approved ARPA pillar; county staff indicated they will need to review whether a county-board action is required to move ARPA funds.
Board members and residents asked whether the department has a surge “bench” of investigators; Pilata said the department currently has only its existing investigators — no standby surge staff — and that temporary hires were used during the pandemic when additional funding was available. Pilata warned that if more grants end or are clawed back, services could be affected in the future.
The committee did not take a formal vote on funding reallocation; staff were directed to prepare a plan for the Board of Health and to coordinate with finance and ARPA administrators about possible reallocation steps.
