Rice County public health director details services, warns of possible grant loss

Deb Purfest, Rice County public health director, presented the county's 2025 public health annual report to the Committee of the Whole on April 7, outlining program activity, service volumes and preliminary finances and flagging potential near-term grant uncertainty.

The report covered core frontline work including WIC, immunizations, well-water testing, home visiting, home care and long-term care waivers. "Redemption of our WIC food benefits brought in about $1,350,000 to WIC-approved stores in Rice County," Purfest told commissioners, noting 1,963 participants in the program in 2025 and a 10-year downward participation trend she tied to lower birth rates.

Why it matters: the presentation combined public-health performance measures with service needs and financial context. Purfest said the department relies on a blend of grant funding and third-party billings, and that one federal grant is subject to litigation and could end sooner than expected, which could affect service capacity if alternatives are not secured.

WIC and nutrition services were a focal point. Purfest said about 25% of local WIC participants were classified as high nutritional risk, above the state figure of about 22%. She also described program demographics: roughly 65% of participants identify as White, about 30% as Black and roughly 34% as Latino.

The Healthy Homes program, funded through a competitive three-year State Department of Health grant, served 55 families in 2025 with a three-year goal of 135 home assessments and mitigation support such as smoke detectors, CO alarms and pest control. Purfest said the program serves owners and renters and staff will coordinate with landlords or city rental inspectors when remediation involves rental properties.

On environmental health work, Purfest reported the county received 14 returned well-water test kits in 2025; "10 of the samples that were returned had elevated manganese, 10 had elevated arsenic, 2 elevated lead levels, 2 with bacteria present," she said, adding that staff follow up with affected households and refer them to Rice County Soil & Water or Olmsted County programs for potential mitigation.

Communicable-disease and immunization work also featured in the report. The department managed one active tuberculosis case in 2025 and followed 16 people with latent TB. Vaccination services targeted uninsured and underinsured residents: Purfest said the county vaccinated 308 uninsured individuals and administered 1,787 vaccines to 858 people in 2025. An immunization-texting campaign sent roughly 2,500 reminders with an approximate 43% response rate; a measles-targeted campaign reached 1,695 children 4–10 years old not up to date on MMR, with about 32% subsequently receiving vaccination.

Commissioners raised concerns about childhood immunization coverage and measles risk. Purfest noted Minnesota allows vaccine exemptions and that Rice County lags statewide coverage in the 24–36 month cohort (about 65% up to date in the latest available data) but reaches roughly 91–92% by kindergarten entry. She warned that pockets of low MMR coverage could increase local outbreak risk.

Early-childhood and family-support programs showed measurable outputs. The county made more than 2,000 family home visits to 168 families in 2025; regional partnerships and evidence-based home-visiting models produced outcomes Purfest highlighted (for example, 85% of children served were up to date on immunizations within those enrolled families). The department also distributed 43 portable cribs through Cradle of Hope and more than 2,000 diaper sleeves (25 diapers per sleeve, about 54,000 diapers) in partnership with the Community Action Center.

Public-health operations and finances: Purfest presented preliminary financial figures showing projected 2025 expenditures of $5,160,000 and actual expenditures near $4,970,000, with revenues roughly $4,800,000. She said Rice County used about $6.17 per capita in tax-levy support in 2024 and estimated roughly $170,000 in levy dollars would be needed to support the department in 2025. Grant revenues for 2025 were about $2.7 million and third-party billing a little over $2 million; Purfest said the mix helps reduce levy reliance but noted the risk posed by grants that may be cut or legally challenged.

Purfest said the annual report will be posted to the county website after coordination with staff. The presentation concluded with thanks to public-health staff and a brief round of commissioner comments before the chair moved to adjourn; the motion to adjourn was seconded and the meeting closed.

The board did not take formal policy votes during the presentation; the next procedural step recorded was the posting of the annual report to the county website and continued monitoring of grant status.