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Nonprofit MACA and Blue Ridge Health District ask Nelson County for funding in budget work session
Summary
MACA sought $20,000 to continue emergency-services and Project Discovery supports for Nelson County families; the Blue Ridge Health District requested $400,138 (a $24,618 local increase) to stabilize two public-health positions after grant cuts and to cover projected salary increases.
At a March 5 budget work session, two presenters asked Nelson County supervisors for continued or increased local funding for services residents rely on.
Suzanne Bowers, introduced as executive director of MACA, said MACA served 98 participants in 44 Nelson County households this fiscal year and asked the board to repeat a $20,000 emergency-services grant the county provided in the current year. "We're asking for the same amount for the next year," Bowers said, adding that "100% of the funds for both programs that come from the board of supervisors in Nelson County goes back to Nelson County." She also described Project Discovery, a school-based program providing college- and career-readiness support and extracurricular activities for first-generation and low-income students.
Tania Dahl, who identified herself as the director of Project Discovery, said the program meets monthly at Nelson County High School, serves primarily first-generation college students free of charge and currently works with about eight students, with numbers growing.
Separately, Ryan McKay of the Blue Ridge Health District outlined a $400,138 total request—"We are seeking $24,618 increase over last year"—to stabilize a disease investigation specialist and a senior epidemiologist after reductions in federal grant funding, including losses to Ryan White and other testing grants. McKay said those positions are central to local surveillance and STI/HIV case management and warned that continued grant declines would force hard choices such as leaving other vacancies unfilled.
Board members asked how local contributions would be apportioned and whether MACA coordinated with social services; presenters said MACA works closely with social services and that the health district calculates locality contributions on a proportionate basis. McKay said localities could adjust their contributions later depending on state allocations and urged the board to consider funding to avoid cuts to disease investigation and epidemiology capacity.
Why it matters: The requests highlight potential gaps in public-health capacity and community supports if localities do not offset lost federal and state funding; county contributions would fund case management, testing supplies and two specialized positions that local officials described as hard to replace.
What happens next: The requests were presented for board consideration during the budget process; no final appropriations were recorded during the March 5 session.
Quoted: "We have served under our community services program 98 participants in 44 households in Nelson County... We're asking for the same amount for the next year," said Suzanne Bowers (MACA, speaker 10). "So our total request for this year is $400,138. We are seeking $24,618 increase over last year," said Ryan McKay (Blue Ridge Health District, speaker 11).
