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Public-health groups urge larger, stable funding as budget hearing spotlights department's limited share
Summary
Public health advocates and clinic leaders urged the committee to increase and stabilize funding for the Department of Health, saying the department currently receives about 1%--2% of the city budget and that the number is insufficient to address ongoing health inequities and emerging needs.
Multiple public-health providers and community groups told the Budget Committee they want a larger, stable city investment in the Department of Health to support prevention, clinic services, emergency preparedness, and equity-focused programming.
Speakers from the Integrated Health Network (IHN), the Community Health Commission of Missouri (CACM), and the Department of Health's Board of Health emphasized the Department of Health's limited share of the budget and asked the committee to boost the department's capacity.
- Induele (Andwele) Jolly, president and CEO of Integrated Health Network: "The Department of Health represents 1% of the city's budget and ranks nearly last to other major cities when it comes to funding," Jolly said, and he asked the committee to consider public health as a catalyst for inclusive prosperity. - Risa Rollins, CEO of the Community Health Commission of Missouri, urged the board to "prioritize adequate, stable funding for the Department of Health to maintain its workforce and fulfill its mission" and highlighted emergency preparedness and equity-focused funding. - Kristen Simpson, a nurse practitioner and vice chair of the Board of Health, said the Department of Justice's cut of a grant to a bullet-injury clinic illustrates the human cost of underfunding and described public health functions that reduce disease, protect water and food safety, and address maternal mortality.
Why it matters: public-health leaders told aldermen that modest, steady investments reduce long-term costs, improve public safety and workforce productivity, and address stark local disparities in outcomes. Several speakers tied health investment to outcomes in violence prevention, chronic disease, jail health, maternal health and infectious disease control.
Committee follow-up and budget context: Director Paul Payne had earlier noted that health department funding is among many special revenues and trust funds being adjusted in FY26 and that some contractual costs had moved into trust accounts (for example, certain health contracts shifted into the Healthcare Trust Fund funded from use tax receipts). The committee asked the director and department staff for follow-up information on how proposed allocations would be spent, workforce impacts, and whether new or recurring revenue sources could support department expansions.
Ending: public-health advocates asked aldermen to prioritize recurring general fund support rather than one-time grants so the department can retain staff and sustain prevention and outreach programs year-round.
