Riley County seeks state grant renewal to fund maternal-child home visiting program, commissioners approve letter of intent

Riley County health officials asked the county commission on Jan. 27 to sign a letter of intent to renew a state grant that funds home visiting and maternal-child services.

Bridal Spencer, maternal and child health supervisor at the Riley County Health Department, told commissioners the grant application to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is for the OPEI (Outreach, Prevention and Early Intervention) program. The department uses evidence-based curricula including Promoting Maternal Mental Health and Promoting First Relationships to support families with infants and young children, Spencer said.

Spencer said KDHE listed $319,000 in funding for the program and the application calls for a matching contribution from Riley County. Spencer told the board the match has historically been covered in part by county funds and staff had drilled into prior budgets to produce a more accurate request. She said county records show additional county coverage in recent years: about $59,233 in calendar year 2024, about $60,687 for fiscal year 2024 and about $39,677 in calendar year 2023.

Spencer said the department’s budget is largely salaries and that the requested increase more closely aligns county and state budgets to cover pay and benefits. She said KDHE has reviewed the department’s requested increase and deemed it acceptable.

Commissioners moved to approve the chair’s signing of the OPEI letter of intent and to proceed with the contract renewal paperwork. The motion passed; the county will proceed with the KDHE application and the county match as presented.

Why it matters: The OPEI grant supports home visiting, early childhood relationship curricula and staff whose salaries are the largest program expense. Changes to the county match affect the county budget and public-health staffing plans.

What’s next: The contract would follow the KDHE fiscal calendar (state fiscal year beginning July 1). Health department staff said they will present budget details and coordinate with county finance staff as the renewal proceeds.