Health department rearranges workers in its 2025 budgets

Wayne County Health Department has dropped its 2025 county budget request by about $13,000 from its 2024 funding.

The county Board of Health approved the department’s revised county budget and the department’s Health First Indiana budget during its Aug. 20 meeting. That enabled the department to present the budgets to Wayne County Council during an Aug. 21 council/commissioners workshop.

Council did not revise the budgets during that meeting and will continue considering the budget as it progresses toward adopting the county budgets.

Dan Burk, who oversees the health department, presented the $814,000 county budget and a $1,552,124.27 Health First Indiana budget to the health board. Health First Indiana funding increased from $803,101.48 in 2024 as the state allocated additional funds for public health. The county’s health contributions were budgeted at $827,541 in 2024.

For 2025, all health department employees were moved to the county budget. That includes converting three positions from contract workers to county employees. With that, the department must also cover fringe benefits.

Next year’s budget also contains a realignment of department administration. It includes an executive director and two deputy directors — one for clinical and one for environmental. When originally presenting its budget request, there was no executive director position. After functioning with a clinical director and environmental director, the decision was made that too many administrative tasks were falling to the county’s health officer, making an executive director necessary.

Dr. Paul Rider, chair of the health board, said he’s received four applications for the executive director position. The clinical director position is also currently open.

Other business

• The health board during its meeting and the Wayne County commissioners during their Aug. 21 meeting approved a revised contract for Purdue Extension to act as a subcontractor through the Health First Indiana program. Purdue University had requested a section that did not apply to Extension’s projects be removed.
• The state is not permitting the health department to pay Birth-to-Five as a Health First Indiana subcontractor from its grant funding for Safety PIN, Protecting Indiana’s Newborns. The health board approved paying Birth-to-Five from the department’s health maintenance fund.
• The syringe exchange program has moved to the Centerstone facility at 100 N. 15th St. It’s available from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays.
• A dying bat was found in Wayne County, and after its death, it tested positive for rabies. There has not been any indication the bat transferred rabies to any people.
• The health board approved purchase of a Softworks software system to assist with department financials. The software would be purchased for $7,995 with an annual fee of $1,995. The county’s highway department utilized the same software. Commissioners also approved the purchase.
• The health department maintains centuries-old birth and death records in bound volumes that it stores vertically, causing some volumes to be rebound each year. The health board approved $14,322 for purchase of two cabinets that store the books horizontally on roll-out shelves. Commissioners, however, requested the department solicit two more quotes.
• The health board and commissioners voted to end a physician’s assistant’s employment.