Connecticut health officials outline impacts of proposed local grant cuts, federal funding uncertainty and program allocations

Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health told the Appropriations Subcommittee on March 1 that the governor’s budget would return many local health district grants toward pre-COVID levels, reducing per-capita grant funding by roughly 10%.

The commissioner said these “local health grant funds would be at roughly 90% of where they are currently but consistent with where they were prior to COVID,” and that of the state’s 59 local health departments and districts, 36 are eligible for per-capita funding. The department estimated most per-capita dollars support personnel and provided a working figure that per-capita grants currently fund the equivalent of 79 full-time positions across eligible local health departments.

The department’s presentation emphasized two major ways DPH interacts with local health departments: technical assistance (for example, in immunizations, environmental health and implementation of the Model Food Code) and fiscal pass-throughs such as per-capita grants and federal awards. The commissioner said some federal grants—such as the CDC immunization grants, public health infrastructure (FIG) workforce grants, and preparedness funding—are distributed through DPH to local health departments and are not subject to the per-capita reduction.

On federal funding overall, DPH staff gave a five-year breakdown showing a large COVID-era infusion that has been tapering. The department said it tracks 119 federal grants…