Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Interim health officer outlines $8M+ budget, new mobile clinic and plan to boost billables
Summary
The interim health officer told commissioners the local health department's FY27 budget is just over $8 million, highlighted a newly received mobile service unit to expand outreach, and said the department aims to increase recovered billables to reduce reliance on the county millage (currently about 12%).
The interim health officer for St. Johns County presented the department's FY27 draft budget and a set of operational priorities aimed at increasing outreach and revenue recovery.
He said the department's total operating budget is a little over $8 million, with the county providing roughly $1 million (about 12%) of that total. The department has prioritized clinical operations and community outreach and is focusing on several program areas: WIC mobile sites, environmental public health staffing, epidemiology, school health outreach, and special‑needs shelter readiness.
"We actually took receipt of [the mobile unit] last week," the interim health officer said, describing plans to deploy a mobile service unit for travel vaccines and other clinic work as a lower‑cost way to reach more residents across the county.
He said staff are also examining billing and coding practices to increase billable reimbursements, with an internal target to approach 20% in fiscal transition and a longer‑term goal nearer 30% recovery of costs through fees and reimbursements. The department will pursue shared services and process improvements with other county and state public health partners to improve efficiency.
Next steps: The board received the budget presentation for inclusion in FY27 talks and asked staff to follow up with more detailed revenue projections and a phased timeline for increasing recovered billables.
