DuPage Health Department unveils $94.1 million FY26 budget; Scribe Recovery Center reports strong early use

The DuPage County Health Department presented its fiscal year 2026 budget to the county board on Oct. 28, outlining a $94.1 million spending plan, program highlights and the early performance of the newly opened Scribe Recovery Center (CRC).

Adam Foraker, director of health department operations, said FY26’s total budget reflects a 30% reduction from the prior year’s peak levels tied to the completion of CRC construction and a step-down in grant-contingency lines. “Our total budget for FY26 is $94,100,000. That is down over 30% from last year,” Foraker said.

Foraker described program metrics that the budget supports: about 3,000 vaccines administered for more than 1,100 children through the Vaccines for Children program; investigation of more than 7,000 disease reports and 230 outbreaks; and more than 18,000 environmental health inspections at food establishments, pools and events.

Maternal and child health initiatives include a new doula program (state-supported), the Smile Squad mobile dental clinic (11,400 dental services to more than 4,000 children last school year) and Basics DuPage, a child-development campaign now serving more than 700 children through partner organizations.

Foraker highlighted the CRC, which opened Sept. 2. In less than seven weeks, staff completed 332 on-site assessments and served 65 youth on-site; the bedded withdrawal-management unit opened later and was seeing steady admissions in its first weeks. “We’ve completed 332 assessments on-site in less than 7 weeks,” Foraker said, adding that CRC referral sources have included families, police, EMS and hospitals.

On the budget front, Foraker said the department projects about a $3.0 million gap in FY26 driven largely by personnel costs and the department’s first full year of CRC operations. The department plans to use fund balance reserves to cover that gap while pursuing revenue strategies including stronger clinical billing and new commercial contracts, local partnerships and philanthropic support. Foraker said patient-care revenue is projected to increase by about $3.0 million driven by expanded CRC services and the foundation the department launched has already raised roughly $500,000 in its first year.

Board members asked about Medicaid billing and long-term sustainability. Foraker said the department routinely bills Medicaid with a success rate higher than 90% but acknowledged lag times in payments; he described a multi-year plan to pursue revenue-cycle improvements, additional payer contracts and local partnerships (708 boards and philanthropy) to reduce reliance on reserves.

The health presentation was followed by committee and board questions; the budget will follow the county’s normal review and adoption process.