Health First program means increased local funding

A new focus on public health at the state level has led to a change in the way the Putnam County Health Department goes about its business and could lead to increased funding for other local entities going forward.

Health department leaders recently met with a number of community organizations to discuss funding possibilities through the Health First Putnam County program.

“The purpose of Health First Indiana is really to increase public health funding throughout the state. Counties have the choice to opt in or not,” Putnam County Health Department Assistant Administrator Brian Williams told the Banner Graphic. “If they do opt in, there are 15 core services that they have to provide.”

These key performance indicators include tobacco and vaping prevention and cessation, infectious disease surveillance and prevention, access to and linkage to clinical care, chronic disease prevention, lead case management, trauma and injury prevention, food protection, fatality review, maternal and child health, school health liaison, health-related areas during emergencies and disasters, immunizations, environmental public health, tuberculosis prevention and case management and vital records.

“Not every health department can do that,” Williams said, “so they have the ability to partner with other community health organizations that can fulfill those core services. In addition to that partnership, health departments are now allowed to use that funding from the state to sub-grant to those organizations that are fulfilling those core services.”

This was the purpose of the recent meeting, to make organizations aware of the opportunities for partnership and funding that could be available under the terms of the program.

“So that’s kind of what we were talking about here is how you can apply, what the core services are and things like that,” Williams said.

Those in attendance included the two hospital systems active in the county (Putnam County Hospital and Hendricks Regional Health), behavioral health systems and other county agencies.

Far from the unfunded mandates that local officials often fear coming from Indianapolis, the state appears to be putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to funding for these programs, as in Putnam County it has gone from $54,396.79 in 2023 to $371,696.16 this year.

In 2025, that number is expected to climb to $716,157.

Among its partners, Health First Putnam County already counts DePauw University, Hendricks Regional Health, the county school corporations, West Central Solid Waste District and Rural Transit.

One outcome of such partnerships has included supporting and promoting West Central Solid Waste Tox-Away Day, through which 808 tires were removed from the county. These efforts will reduce mosquito breeding grounds within the county and potentially reduce disease transmission.

Other efforts have included distributing 10,000 solar eclipse glasses prior to the April 8 event, educating young students on handwashing and prevention of spreading germs and partnering with middle and high schools to provide tobacco quit kits as well as doing outreach at the Putnam County Fair and National Night Out. A tobacco coalition is even developing with the Owen County Health Department.

Through the new program local health officials hope to forge even more partnerships.

“It’s a really exciting time. Indiana hasn’t had a really robust public health system in the past,” Williams said. “What we’re trying to change will take several years. We’re really excited to raise not only the health outcomes of our Putnam County residents but of Hoosiers as a whole.”

With the increased demands on the health department also comes an increased need for space from which to operate. With this in mind, the Putnam County Commissioners have been looking for a larger space than that from which the health department operates inside the Putnam County Hospital office building.

One possible landing spot had been the old Fresenius Kidney Care building at 316 Medic Way, but the owner recently accepted a different offer on the building.