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Evansville health department to weigh staffing cuts after state slashes Health First Indiana funding
Summary
Board members and staff said the state cut Health First Indiana allotments by 73.3% for 2026–27, prompting a finance-committee meeting to consider scenarios, stop-gap spending and modest fee increases to avoid layoffs.
Evansville City Board of Health members were told the state has cut Health First Indiana (HFI) funding for local health departments by 73.3% for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, and staff urged the board to begin scenario planning to avoid abrupt service reductions.
The board heard that HFI’s statewide appropriation is being reduced from roughly $150,000,000 per year to about $40,000,000, and that the local share communicated to the department is $1,120,000. Board members and staff said the combination of that reduction and limits on property-tax levy increases under Senate Bill 1 will sharply restrict available revenue for county services.
Why it matters: Health department staff said the cuts threaten personnel and ongoing programs that the department currently supports, including items…
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