Erin Ourada is administrator of Western Plains Public Health. She says the budget options are not plentiful.
"...We just have to do some adjustments, trim costs, raise fees, which we don't like doing, but that is what we plan on doing, and then just kind of see how things look. I'm evaluating programs right now to, you know, see what kind of revenue I have coming in from the program, how much it costs, what the community benefit is to the program. So that's what I'm doing for the next six months."
Ourada says the federal dollars are distributed by Washington to state-level government, which then allocates the dollars to the health units. She says not only have the federal dollars been slowed in release, there are new changes on the state level that impact how the five participating counties in the health group contribute. Ourada says she's been trying to keep the ask from the counties low and stable, but that funding buffer is now disappearing.
"...So I was very conscientious about keeping that even, just in case I would have a year where I'd have a deficit in federal funding, then I would go to my counties and say, hey, got to help me out for a year. However, the counties are now under the three percent tax cap, which means I can no longer ask for very much more for my counties."
Ourada says despite the challenges, the organization will continue efforts to keep services in place. She says the mission is there, even if the money isn't.
"...The hard part about all of this is that our communities will receive less services. That is the only reason we exist, is to help our communities be healthy. And when you cut funding to an organization whose main goal is to create healthy communities, I mean, that's detrimental in the long run.
And you won't see that, those impacts right away, but you will in future years to come, because that's how public health works. It's not something you see immediately. It's something that takes years for change, which is why it's hard for people to recognize the importance of public health, because it's not flashy and in your face."
The Western Plains Public Health Group has a budget of about $3.9 million for 2025. It serves about 50,000 people in Grant, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, and Sioux counties.
For Prairie Public, I'm Todd McDonald.