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Grant County to fund Bridges to Health and tobacco-cessation coordinator with local public-health dollars
Summary
The Grant County health department secured commissioner approval for two MOUs: $100,000 to Bridges to Health for peer-support specialists and $50,000 to Marion Health for a tobacco-cessation coordinator; health staff highlighted drops in overdose deaths and ongoing high smoking rates.
The Grant County Board of Commissioners approved two memorandums of understanding to fund public-health programs aimed at addiction support and tobacco cessation.
A health department representative asked the board to continue funding Bridges to Health’s "core plus" program with $100,000 for 2025 to support a female peer-support specialist and allow a male peer specialist to work five days a week. "I'm not gonna swear to you it's because of this program, but I believe this program...meets people in active addiction right where they're at," the presenter said, adding that peer specialists bring lived experience to their work.
The board also approved a $50,000 MOU with Marion Health to fund a tobacco-cessation coordinator whose duties include working with pregnant women and running anti-vaping programs in schools. The health presenter said county-wide adult smoking stands at 23 percent and 17 percent among pregnant women; she additionally stated, "Our fatal overdoses have dropped off in 2023. Grant County had suffered 34. To date this year, we only have 14." Commissioners approved both MOUs by unanimous voice vote.
The presenter said funding will come from Healthy Indiana/FIFO funds (referred to in the meeting as Healthy Indiana funds) and that other planned initiatives — including fall-prevention programming and a diabetes education series — will still have budgeted funding available.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about whether these MOUs would constrain other projects; the presenter said sufficient funds remain for other initiatives. The agreements move forward with county approval and will be monitored by public-health staff.
