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Brazos County Health District asks for $100,000 to sustain positions as grant funding ends
Summary
Dr. Santos Navarrete told commissioners the Brazos County Health District is asking the county for an additional $100,000 to sustain six positions now supported by a federal FIG grant that expires in November 2027, warning staff cuts could follow if the county does not increase its contribution.
The Brazos County Health District told commissioners at a May 20 workshop that it needs an additional $100,000 from local funding partners to avoid cutting staff when a federal public health infrastructure grant (the FIG grant) ends.
"The FIG grant has allowed us to hire and support our infrastructure by providing a public health nurse, licensed clinical social worker, billing coordinator, accreditation coordinator, as well as an epidemiologist," Dr. Santos Navarrete Jr., health director, said. He told the court the FIG grant is scheduled to end Nov. 30, 2027, and said: "The additional $100,000 we're asking from the cities and the county will enable us to continue our services that we built up specifically in our C4 clinic, behavioral health services..."
Navarrete outlined the district's footprint (nine divisions including community health, clinic services, environmental health and emergency preparedness), program growth and rising personnel costs — about a 24% increase in personnel costs over five years, he said — and detailed prevention and treatment programs from TB work to a new breast-cancer screening program funded by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission ($300,000 per year for four years).
Commissioners pressed fiscal context: one member noted the health district has a roughly $2 million surplus in reserves and asked why an additional $100,000 was needed now. Navarrete acknowledged reserve use in prior years but said without a county/city contribution the district would face staffing reductions in 2027–28 when FIG funds are exhausted.
The presentation supplied commissioners with program metrics and potential budget options; no decision was made at the workshop. Staff will include Navarrete’s materials in the proposed FY 2026–27 budget and commissioners may request further detail on reserves, planned fee adjustments or grant-matching plans before formal budget action.
