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Public health director warns funding gaps have reduced syringe program use and coincided with rise in hepatitis C
Summary
Fargo Cass Public Health says revenue shifts and unfulfilled pledges have left the new recovery/resource center and some harm-reduction activities underfunded, and the department reported a 41% drop in syringe-service visits and a recent uptick in hepatitis C cases.
Jen Fowle, a public health official with Fargo Cass Public Health, told the commission the department is proposing a $15.5 million budget backed by a mix of general-fund support, county payments, state aid and federal grants.
Fowle said the department is not yet fully funded for a planned move and lease of the recovery and resource center and that some promised private contributions may arrive in 2028. She described changes in federal grant eligibility that have shifted emphasis away from some harm-reduction language and toward treatment-first models in certain programs.
"We are not completely funded for the move, and rent as we had anticipated...some of those folks haven't been able to come through maybe this year yet," Fowle said, describing ongoing fundraising from local foundations and donors.
Commissioners asked how grant shifts affect services. Fowle said federal grant cycles now sometimes offer shorter application windows and different language; some grant opportunities are less inclusive of certain harm-reduction activities but still support allied services like sober housing.
Fowle also cited program outcomes: "Currently, we see 41% less people at our our syringe services program because they don't feel safe coming because of the negative publicity that has been given," she said, and added the department has observed “an increase in hepatitis C in our community for the first time” after a multi-year downward trend.
Fowle argued that prevention is cost-saving over time, noting the high cost of treating chronic infections. Several commissioners urged stronger state-level advocacy to obtain more stable funding, saying the city cannot shoulder metro and regional public-health costs alone. The department will continue revenue and grant-seeking efforts while reviewing operating assumptions in light of the recent program attendance drop and disease trends.
The commission did not take formal action on the public-health budget at the workshop; staff said corrected figures are available in the online binder and that follow-up conversations with Cass County are scheduled.
