By HOLLY GASKILL
Wells County will participate in Health First Indiana in 2025 after being only one of six counties that did not join the program for 2024.
During their meeting Monday, the commissioners unanimously approved a recommendation to opt-in from the health board. In 2025, Wells County will receive at least $549,510 from the state’s Local Health Maintenance Fund — the county currently receives $51,777.15 from the fund.
This additional funding is intended to target a number of key performance indicators, including immunizations, vital records and chronic disease prevention. The Wells County Health Department and Board of Health will now embark on the process of forming a budget proposal for the funding. The board has scheduled a special meeting for 6:30 a.m. on Thursday to begin their discussions.
The commissioners had unanimously voted against HFI in 2023, citing skepticism of the program and the Wells County Health Department’s instability at the time. Commissioner Jeff Stringer referenced this time before voting on Monday, asking Public Health Nurse Lynn Blevins, “Is it safe to say the timing is much better this time around?” Blevins replied, “That would be an understatement, actually.”
“Last year it was a hard no, for the reasons we’ve been saying here ad nauseam,” added Commissioner Mike Vanover. “But the Health Department, the board, you guys, as a whole, have kept your word — that matters. So, thank you for pulling it together. I appreciate the leadership, and I feel a lot more comfortable with that today than what I did a year ago.”
Commissioner Blake Gerber also thanked the board for their “due diligence” and recognized that the program would come with a learning curve. “We don’t expect to make it perfect the first year,” he said.
Blevins presented a drafted budget, which allocated just under $25,000 for department vehicles. Currently, Blevins and Environmental Specialist Ryan Bennett use their own vehicles to respond to needs throughout the county.
The department will also use a large portion of funding for grants, which will support local organizations that already have the infrastructure to address the KPIs.
Stringer added that it seemed the department has a “pretty good backbone” now. Board President Chris Esterling, who presented the recommendation alongside board member Molly Hoag, said the additional funding would facilitate continued growth.
Blevins said the Health Department staff, board and Health Officer Brandon Huggins will discuss the grant application process during their Thursday meeting at the Carnegie Annex.
holly@news-banner.com
