Gary Health Department to reallocate funds for two trucks; community health worker role removed from budget

The Gary City finance committee considered revisions to the Gary Health Department’s 2025 budgets that would reallocate funds to purchase two trucks for health inspectors and remove a community health worker position from the local health maintenance budget, Health Department staff said at the May meeting.

The change is part of a revised local health maintenance budget and an amended partner services grant budget (an annual sexually transmitted infection program), an ordinance listed on the committee agenda said. Health Department presenter Collins Ellis told the committee the immunization budget had been eliminated in March and that the community health worker’s salary had previously come from that line.

Ellis described how the department is redistributing duties after the position was removed. "Well, she was when we have health fairs, she would be going out to the community and be able to provide the health fairs, setting up tables, educating,"…