Vanderburgh County health board plans to hold services steady despite steep state funding cuts

A recent meeting of the Vanderburgh County Board of Health focused on a proposed 2026 budget that officials say preserves existing services despite a deep cut in state funding.

Board member Maria (last name not specified) and health department staff summarized a plan that would use savings from 2025 and county budget lines to hold service levels steady in 2026 while avoiding layoffs. “In 2025, we received $4,200,000 … for HFI,” Joe (health department staff) told the board, and the county is combining that with other funds to keep the budget level, staff said. Board members repeatedly characterized the reduction in state funding as a roughly 73% cut for 2025–26.

The nut of the proposal is rollovers and reallocation rather than program expansion. Board members said the plan requests less county support than in 2024 for the county line referenced as 1159 and moves some staffing between county lines (1159 to 1161) to preserve core services. “We are maintaining what we are currently offering,” Ashley Hammer, a newly introduced board member, said; “we're not gonna be able to do any expansions.”

Why it matters: board leaders said the combination of one-time carryovers and conservative budgeting should avert layoffs in 2026 but will leave little margin for new initiatives. Members urged outreach to local legislators and community partners to seek any restored state support and to pursue alternative funding, including foundation support and targeted grant applications.

Grants and program impacts

Board members highlighted several grant changes that affect services. Staff reported that the county will not receive an immunization grant that had…