Interim health director urges commissioners not to cut programs as WIC funding drops

David Adams, interim director of the Riley County Health Department, asked commissioners at the July 1 special meeting to avoid cutting core health programs and to review detailed caseload and program materials before making staffing or service reductions.

Adams said he provided handouts that break down each public-health program, their caseloads and six-month activity, and urged the board to “look at these numbers and to understand the impact the health department does on those that they serve.” He emphasized that many clients are children and low-income residents who rely on those services.

Staff clarified which services the county is legally required to provide: communicable disease control is mandatory, and immunizations are required only “if and when funds are available,” staff said, noting that some programs depend on grant funding. Adams and staff flagged WIC as a specific pressure point: commissioners were told federal funding cuts have reduced WIC revenue below $1,000,000 in the current budget projection after several years when it was self-sufficient.

Adams described WIC and other public-health programs as serving people who “can’t pay” and said the programs have daily, tangible impacts on vulnerable residents. Commissioners asked for a fiscal-impact memo and a split-out of health-department costs to be provided before the next budget work session so the board can weigh statutory requirements against discretionary programs.

The board agreed to have Adams and county staff present the health-department reorganization and budget details at the next session and to prepare any needed documentation for R&R intent filings.