The June Board of Health meeting took place Friday, with the main topic of discussion being Lubbock Public Health’s budget.
This is ahead of potential federal cuts; however, there is still considerable uncertainty.
“It’s just big changes and scary changes and they’re fast,” Katherine Wells, the director of Lubbock Public Health, said.
One factor that could have a significant impact on their budget is the proposed CDC budget, which is set to take effect in October of this year.
“CDC budget reduction, the reducing CDC funding by 50% at the federal level. Funding for syphilis elimination, HIV, tuberculosis and immunizations,” Wells said.
Some of the services Lubbock Public Health provides include vaccinations, a sexual wellness clinic, and TB skin testing. So, when this gets cut at the federal level, the impact will be felt at the local level.
“70% of CDC funding comes down to states and local health departments,” Wells said.
But it’s not just this slash to the CDC that Wells is worried about.
“We’re also facing some big administrative delays from the federal government in issuing funding to the state,” Wells said.
This is related to the grants they receive.
“I got a notice on Tuesday that said effective yesterday, all your funding is gone, and it basically just disappeared overnight. The same thing is starting to happen with our regular grants that come to the health department, including grants that have come to the health department for 20 years,” Wells said.
Wells also brought up how what happens at the state level affects the local level.
“60% of the Department, the state health services, our agency over us at the state level is federally funded. We might lose continuation of some of our in-kind support. So, we get free vaccines from the state. They process labs for us,” Wells said.
In the meantime, Wells and the Board of Health are working on a solution, as there are still many unknowns.
“This is happening very quickly,” Wells said.
https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/local-news/lubbock-public-health-budget-concerns/
