Public health director warns ARPA and state grant rolloffs will shrink services; maternal health and nuisance abatement flagged

Public Health Services Director Leah Barton told commissioners the department faces an unprecedented funding squeeze as ARPA, COVID‑era and certain state grants decline. "About a third of our funding comes from the general fund," Barton said, and she reported a $21 million year‑over‑year drop in grant funding.

Barton described $3.6 million in suggested offsets that the department categorized into three buckets: items with limited impact, administrative‑area efficiencies, and resident‑facing reductions. Programs identified as most vulnerable to cuts with material resident impact included health prevention and coordinated care, mosquito and vector education, public health preparedness and response and community health and wellness clinic supplies.

Barton emphasized maternal and child health as a high priority enhancement if additional funds are available — the program delivered roughly 1,800 home visits this year and supports prenatal/postnatal visits, doula and lactation services and care navigation. She said chronic disease prevention remains the county’s leading cause of death and wastewater surveillance provides an early‑warning capacity developed during the pandemic.

Commissioners asked about potential alternative funding sources; Barton and her staff said they were exploring philanthropy, management district partnerships and expanded Medicaid/charity care billing but said those sources could not match the scale of federal grants. Barton urged the court to preserve resident‑facing services and the four targeted enhancements in any final budget amendments.

Ending: Barton asked for support at the amendment stage to preserve core prevention and response functions, stressing that cuts would immediately reduce services to vulnerable residents and hamper preparedness heading into major events.