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Health department warns CDC cuts could remove $1.1M from tobacco control; seeks recovery-housing pilot and aftercare navigators
Summary
Department of Health officials told the Vermont Senate Appropriations Committee on April 17 that the elimination of the CDC Office of Smoking and Health could remove about $1.1 million in federal support for the state nd that without replacement funding the department would likely cut cessation and prevention work.
Department of Health officials on April 17 told the Vermont Senate Appropriations Committee that federal changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention threaten roughly $1.1 million in annual tobacco-control funding and that proposed state budget moves could reduce cessation and prevention services that the department says have driven Vermont’s strong quit-line outcomes.
Maura Cook, introduced for the record as division director for health promotion and disease prevention at the Vermont Department of Health, told the committee the CDC Office of Smoking and Health was eliminated and that, as a result, “we are now looking at $1,100,000 less,” in federal support for tobacco control. Cook told the committee the department currently funds tobacco control at about $3.7 million and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention historically provided about $1.1 million of that support.
Why it matters: Cook and department staff said cuts of this magnitude would force reductions in premium quit-line services, youth and school programming and community coalitions, and would weaken partnerships the department has with the Parent Child Centers (PCCs) that help enroll pregnant people and low-income residents in cessation programs.
Tobacco program details
- Funding levels: Cook said the department’s tobacco-control program is currently funded at about $3.7 million; she cited an $8.4 million recommended minimum to meet CDC guidelines for a comprehensive state tobacco control program. She noted Vermont’s quit-line shows a roughly 39 percent quit rate compared with a national average she cited at about 34 percent.
- Program impacts: Cook said the program’s cessation incentives and targeted outreach serve higher-need populations (pregnant and postpartum people, Medicaid recipients, uninsured Vermonters, people with mental-health or substance-use conditions, and some racial/ethnic communities). Committee members questioned which tobacco-fund balances could be used to temporarily augment services; Cook said the department is examining scenarios but expressed concern about moving funds at the expense of the state’s core tobacco-control program.
Substance-use investments: recovery supports and navigators
Department staff also outlined substance-use disorder (SUD) priorities that were included in the governor’s recommended budget but did not appear in the House version. Kelly (department deputy referenced in testimony) described the state SUD continuum and an “intensive recovery housing pilot.” The department said it already issued a request for proposals in anticipation of a budget decision.
- Intensive recovery housing pilot: department staff described a 15-bed pilot that would provide on-site outpatient treatment, mental-health screening, medication-assisted treatment coordination, employment services and life-skills training so that services come to residents rather than requiring residents to travel off-site. The department said the governor requested $500,000 one-time and $1.5 million base for the pilot.
- Aftercare navigators: staff proposed hiring aftercare navigators at the state’s four residential treatment settings to help discharged residents operationalize discharge plans and connect to outpatient care and recovery supports. In response to a committee question, staff confirmed, “We do not” currently have dedicated aftercare navigator positions in those residential programs.
Other notes
Department staff also asked the committee to allow the Department of Corrections to expedite conversion of an existing DOC facility into a treatment-focused site and urged the committee to consider the department’s inventory of recovery housing and services that is due in a December reporting requirement tied to prior legislation.
No formal committee votes were recorded on the health department requests during the hearing. Staff said they would provide slides and follow-up information requested by the committee, and they flagged the possible federal funding loss as an item requiring monitoring.
Ending
Department staff said they will deliver slides and more detailed budget scenarios to the committee; senators and staff asked for clearer delineation of which federal and state line items cover testing, remediation and other related work so members can see tradeoffs across the larger FY26 construct.
