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Geary County health director: KDHE funding cuts slow some services; measles not detected locally
Summary
Charles Martinez, director of the Geary County Health Department, told commissioners that state (KDHE) federal funding reductions have cut staff at the state level, slowing lab and technical assistance; the local clinic is short on nursing staff and the health department is prioritizing WIC and vaccination access via partners.
Charles Martinez, director of the Geary County Health Department, briefed the board on staffing, disease surveillance and clinic operations during the May 12 meeting.
Martinez said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has lost federal funding that led to staff reductions and will slow some services such as lab processing and technical assistance. "It's not that we can't function," Martinez said, "it's just going to be slower and a more painful process." He said the health department is adjusting workflows and coordinating with partners to maintain services.
Clinic staffing is tight: Martinez said the department is short nursing staff and has temporarily used its WIC coordinator (an RN) to provide limited clinic coverage on specific days. He said appointments were canceled where necessary and that the department has been referring urgent vaccine needs to partner clinics until staffing is restored.
On disease surveillance, Martinez said measles has not reached Geary County and that Kansas reported 56 cases statewide; he said rising vaccination rates locally make a county outbreak less likely in the near term. Martinez reported no RSV cases in the emergency room since March and that COVID-related ER visits remain very low; influenza was described as minimal and gastrointestinal illness that spiked last month has subsided.
Sexually transmitted infection reports have improved compared with last year: Martinez said gonorrhea and chlamydia case counts were down from prior months. The department filled a front‑desk clerk position and promoted a clerk to a biller role but is still recruiting for a registered nurse and a dietitian; Martinez said regional pay levels and competition may be a factor.
Martinez also described minor facility maintenance and ongoing administrative work, and noted the department is adapting to new electronic signature and billing processes that have caused some operational friction statewide.
The board took the update as informational; no formal health-policy action or funding vote occurred at the meeting.
