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Will County health department warns of grant cuts and reports rising STI numbers; schedules testing events
Summary
Elizabeth Balata and public-health staff reported the Well Woman grant will end June 30, a respiratory surveillance award is under injunction, and HIV/STI work shows rising syphilis and chlamydia counts alongside expanded testing and PrEP outreach.
Elizabeth Balata and staff from the Will County Health Department told the committee the department faces near-term revenue reductions and is expanding HIV/STI outreach amid rising case counts.
Balata said the department was notified by the Illinois Department of Public Health that the Well Woman grant will end June 30 and that the respiratory surveillance grant is subject to an injunction but remains active while the injunction continues. She asked committee members to press legislators for public-health funding and said the Board of Health will discuss funding needs in June and the department plans to bring budget requests to the committee in July.
"We did get notified by Illinois Department of Public Health that our Well Woman grant is not going to be continued, so it does end on June 30," Balata said. She also announced the environmental health laboratory passed its microbiology certification with no deviations and that the health department will open a Mother's Milk Bank depot in Bolingbrook on June 13.
In a separate presentation, Nick Taylor of the HIV/STI program outlined services and 2024 activity: 231 visits related to PrEP/PEP services, 414 HIV tests, 314 STI screenings with 102 positives treated, 12 newly identified HIV-positive patients linked to care and 80 vaccinations administered. Program staff also reported 1,819 chlamydia cases, 877 syphilis cases and 388 gonorrhea cases during the past year.
"Will County, specifically, we have a higher rate of syphilis right now," Taylor said, and he identified men who have sex with men as a population experiencing higher rates, while cautioning that "anybody can get" STIs. He described partner-notification methods used by the department and announced a free rapid HIV-testing event on June 27 in partnership with a local Walgreens.
Committee members acknowledged the funding pressures and urged the department to return to the committee with formal budget requests. Balata said the Board of Health is planning advocacy to state and federal lawmakers and will report back at the July meeting. The committee did not take formal votes during these presentations.
