Latest news with #MCHD
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Funding uncertainty has MCHD in 'difficult financial straits'
Jun. 2—MORGANTOWN — In the best of times, annual budgets are uncertain. They're well-educated guesses — estimates, if you prefer the term. You look at what you expect to get, weigh that against what you expect to spend — and hope nothing happens along the way that negatively skews either number beyond reconciliation. But what if you have no real way of knowing what to expect ? That's where leadership with the Monongalia County Health Department often is finding itself. MCHD Executive Director Anthony DeFelice has estimated that up to 40 % of the health department's budget originates from federal sources. As with most sectors dependent on federal dollars, there's considerable uncertainty in public health. The MCHD launched into an unprecedented budgeting process knowing some of those dollars are secure, some have already been eliminated and some are complete unknowns. "The IAP Grant is the immunization grant. It's just been a given every year that you're getting that. We've had no indication. They stopped the IAP grant and terminated it, " county Health Officer Dr. Brian Huggins said. "We don't know if the Vaccines for Children (Program) is going to exist next year. Those are significant funding sources that help pay for some of our nursing staff. With this budget, we didn't include them. If we get them, great. But we just don't know." And that, DeFelice explained, is how MCHD is approaching this budgeting process. If leadership is confident the funds are secure, they're included. If there's any uncertainty, the dollars aren't being budgeted. DeFelice described the process as "very thorough " and "very conservative." Chief Financial Officer Devan Smith explained that the health department's program managers and executive team have gone meticulously through each line item in an effort to determine where reductions can be made. Smith said budgeting in public health is already both art and science in that it often requires as much intuition as accounting. "When you add in deep uncertainty about whether core functions of the organization will continue to be funded, it not only makes providing estimates difficult, but also means that you have to question what services will be kept or lost under different scenarios, " he said. "What made this budget year so hard for us was not the mechanical process of performing calculations or reviewing expenses. It was weighing the people element — -potential reductions in the services we are able to provide to families in our community or impacts to employees we have worked with for years that may no longer have a job." Among the measures under consideration are fee increases. An initial example is a 10 % bump in fees for the health department's dental program. A review of if, where and when MCHD can continue to offer free and reduced-cost services is under consideration. The health department also plans to keep all vacant positions unfilled. Further, some programming considered "enhanced " offerings — meaning beyond the core functions of environmental health, communicable disease, immunization, threat preparedness and community health promotion — are being scaled back as only core, or basic, functions are eligible for state and county support. Huggins offered an example. "The biggest thing that is changing is that our family planning clinic is going to go from five days a week down to a single day a week. The biggest reason for that is loss of funding streams that were supporting our basic services. Family planning is an enhanced service by state code. Family planning, unfortunately, loses money. It just does, " he said, explaining the program lost somewhere around $150, 000 in the 2025 fiscal year. "There is potential with family planning that we may have to discontinue services completely if the funding stream stops. According to the DHHS budget that's been proposed by the administration, family planning is on the list of services that is to be eliminated — not moved to a different service, eliminated from funding. If that occurs, we'll look at everything we can because we realize, for a lot of people, this is a critical service."
Dominion Post
4 days ago
- Health
- Dominion Post
Funding uncertainty has MCHD in 'dangerous financial straits'
MORGANTOWN — In the best of times, annual budgets are uncertain. They're well-educated guesses – estimates, if you prefer the term. You look at what you expect to get, weigh that against what you expect to spend – and hope nothing happens along the way that negatively skews either number beyond reconciliation. But what if you have no real way of knowing what to expect? That's where leadership with the Monongalia County Health Department often is finding itself. MCHD Executive Director Anthony DeFelice has estimated that up to 40% of the health department's budget originates from federal sources. As with most sectors dependent on federal dollars, there's considerable uncertainty in public health. The MCHD launched into an unprecedented budgeting process knowing some of those dollars are secure, some have already been eliminated and some are complete unknowns. 'The IAP Grant is the immunization grant. It's just been a given every year that you're getting that. We've had no indication. They stopped the IAP grant and terminated it,' county Health Officer Dr. Brian Huggins said. 'We don't know if the Vaccines for Children (Program) is going to exist next year. Those are significant funding sources that help pay for some of our nursing staff. With this budget, we didn't include them. If we get them, great. But we just don't know.' And that, DeFelice explained, is how MCHD is approaching this budgeting process. If leadership is confident the funds are secure, they're included. If there's any uncertainty, the dollars aren't being budgeted. DeFelice described the process as 'very thorough' and 'very conservative.' Chief Financial Officer Devan Smith explained that the health department's program managers and executive team have gone meticulously through each line item in an effort to determine where reductions can be made. Smith said budgeting in public health is already both art and science in that it often requires as much intuition as accounting. 'When you add in deep uncertainty about whether core functions of the organization will continue to be funded, it not only makes providing estimates difficult, but also means that you have to question what services will be kept or lost under different scenarios,' he said. 'What made this budget year so hard for us was not the mechanical process of performing calculations or reviewing expenses. It was weighing the people element –- potential reductions in the services we are able to provide to families in our community or impacts to employees we have worked with for years that may no longer have a job.' Among the measures under consideration are fee increases. An initial example is a 10% bump in fees for the health department's dental program. A review of if, where and when MCHD can continue to offer free and reduced-cost services is under consideration. The health department also plans to keep all vacant positions unfilled. Further, some programming considered 'enhanced' offerings – meaning beyond the core functions of environmental health, communicable disease, immunization, threat preparedness and community health promotion – are being scaled back as only core, or basic, functions are eligible for state and county support. Huggins offered an example. 'The biggest thing that is changing is that our family planning clinic is going to go from five days a week down to a single day a week. The biggest reason for that is loss of funding streams that were supporting our basic services. Family planning is an enhanced service by state code. Family planning, unfortunately, loses money. It just does,' he said, explaining the program lost somewhere around $150,000 in the 2025 fiscal year. 'There is potential with family planning that we may have to discontinue services completely if the funding stream stops. According to the DHHS budget that's been proposed by the administration, family planning is on the list of services that is to be eliminated – not moved to a different service, eliminated from funding. If that occurs, we'll look at everything we can because we realize, for a lot of people, this is a critical service.'
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health department sees first direct impact of federal funding upheaval
Mar. 28—MORGANTOWN — Monongalia County Health Department Chief Financial Officer Devan Smith was prepared to come into Thursday morning's board of health meeting and report MCHD was so-far unscathed by the upheaval in federal funding initiated by the Trump administration. Then, on Tuesday, federal health officials announced billions in COVID-related funds were being stopped. The following day, the health department was notified by the National Association of County & City Health Officials that a contract through which MCHD was working with the health department in Fairfax County, Va to better engage healthcare facilities regarding infection prevention and control had been canceled. As MCHD was working as a subcontractor, it must now go back to NACCHO to get paid for the work performed since Jan. 1. The $90, 000 contract was set to expire at the end of June. Smith said he's identified additional grants that he believes could be in jeopardy. In those examples, MCHD is a subrecipient of funds passing through the state. Those grants would total about $83, 000 to the health department. "We've been talking to folks at the state to see if they're hearing any notifications about rescission of funding at their level, because it would have the same impact, essentially, " he said. "As far as I'm aware, they have not received any formal rescission of funding that we receive as a subrecipient." MCHD Executive Director Anthony DeFelice said the health department is also closely following news that a funding freeze tied to Title X (family planning services) has been put in place. He said the health department has yet to hear anything on that front. "These are the things that we're going to have to be monitoring, " DeFelice said. "We're going to get some of these notices. We're proactively checking the rest of our contracts." DeFelice previously estimated that 40 % or more of the health department's budget consists of federal grant funding coming from a variety of sources to fund the department's numerous offerings. "It's really not clear how this is going to play out, because Congress hasn't laid out clear policy priorities within their continuing resolution ... Normally when there's an appropriations act or there's a continuing resolution, there's instructions from Congress about how that funding is to be spent, and this continuing resolution doesn't have that, " Smith explained. "So, that allows more discretion than is normal for this administration to choose and direct funding toward specific policy priorities. I don't think that has really seen itself play out yet." Asked if the impacts to the health department could be substantial enough to force program cuts or staff reductions, Smith said he didn't have any indication that the immediate impact would be that substantial. Even so, he said the health department is "going to be looking hard at what we can afford, " as it prepares to present its 2025-'26 operating budget in the coming weeks. "I firmly believe that we are going to continue to serve public health in a really meaningful and awesome way. We're going to have some new things that we might even still be able to work on with community health promotion, " Health Officer Dr. Brian Huggins said. "But some of the services that we end up offering may change." Huggins noted the health department will add a revenue source in April, when it begins conducting occupational drug testing for employers.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
300 gallons discharges after Bayou La Batre sanitary sewer overflow
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (WKRG) — A sanitary sewer overflowed at a manhole on Shell Belt Road in Bayou La Batre on Thursday. According to a news release from the Mobile County Health Department, the cause was a mechanical failure at one of the lift stations in the area, and about 300 gallons discharged. Angie Stone dies in car crash after performing at MAMGA Grand Marshal's Ball MCHD officials state that the discharge was absorbed by the ground and did not reach any body of water. Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Michaels advised residents to wash hands and clothes carefully if they come in contact with any standing water that may have accumulated due to the overflow. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mobile County Health Department sets March rabies clinics
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The Mobile County Health Department will be providing rabies shots for cats, dogs and ferrets at a low cost during weekends in March, according to a news release. Jim Nagy hired as general manager for football at University of Oklahoma MCHD officials said the vaccine will protect pets from rabies for an entire year. has learned that there will be select rabies clinics administering the shots. The set clinic locations, scheduled dates, and operating hours are as follows: Little Flower Catholic School, 2103 Government Street, Mobile, AL, 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 1 Mobile County Animal Shelter, 7665 Howells Ferry Road, Mobile, AL, 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 8 Pet Supplies Plus, 803 Hillcrest Road, Mobile, AL, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday March 8 Prichard Municipal Stadium parking lot, 2402 West Rebel Road, Mobile, AL, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 15 B&B Pet Stop, 5035 Cottage Hill Road, Mobile, AL, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 Kuddles-N-Kisses Connection, 13268 Wintzell Avenue Bayou La Batre, AL, 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 29 The temporary clinics will be drive-through only. Each rabies vaccine will cost $12 per pet. The shots must be paid for in cash. Residents can get inexpensive vaccinations for their cats, dogs, and ferrets from MCHD's Rabies Officer at a number of locations each month. Alabama's local health departments are tasked by the state with the responsibility to offer affordable rabies shots to pet owners. In February, MCHD's Rabies Officer administered vaccines to 65 cats and 200 dogs, for a total of 265 vaccinations. In 2024, the Rabies Officer from MCHD vaccinated 2,866 pets. Rabies is a deadly virus that attacks the body's central nervous system, and can be transmitted to humans and other mammals from infected animals. Symptoms include erratic behavior, headache, irritability, fever, inability to drink or eat, circling, balancing problems, coma, seizures, and death. All warm-blooded animals, including humans, can contract the virus. UPDATE: Mobile police find man, woman dead inside home Wednesday The Alabama Department of Public Health provides a Rabies Quarantine Fact Sheet here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
