A budget establishing 23 new positions for the Lake County Health Department was approved Tuesday by the county council — a necessary first step before it can tap $4.87 million in new state dollars allocated to improve public health.
The funds come from the Health First Indiana initiative, which was created in 2023 by the Indiana legislature through Senate Enrolled Act 4 to improve the overall health of Hoosiers, a metric where the state consistently ranks among the worst in the nation.
The approximately $74.6 million in total revenues allocated by the state for the Health First Indiana program will be divided among 89 of the 92 counties that opted to participate. Lake County, as the second most populated county in the state, received the second-highest disbursement at about $4.87 million. Marion County, the state’s most populated county, will receive about $11.9 million.
As part of its spending plan, the Lake County Health Department plans to open a maternal and child health center in both the north and south sides of the county.
Dr. Chandana Vavilala, Lake County’s Health officer, said the Health First Indiana program was created to make sure residents in any county in the state have access to the same health services. Some of the core health services on which the program focuses are already offered by the county, such as immunizations.
Vavilala said the county health department will use partnerships with existing entities like hospitals and universities to provide services that it does not currently offer or expand those it does.
She called the plan is a work in progress.
“No change to public health will happen in weeks, months or even years. We need to be patient,” Vavilala said.
The program also established rigorous reporting requirements that must be made to the state.
The budget for the $4.87 million breaks down like this: $80,170 for professionals; $246,939 for protective services; $815,909 for paraprofessionals; $149,291 for office and clerical; $115,511 for part-time help; $20,522 for supplemental pay; $109,270 for FICA deduction; $186,426 for PERF deduction; $664,470 for group insurance deduction. $16,744 for workman’s compensation deduction; $28,000 for office supplies; $6,000 for petroleum products; $1,325 for clothing; $15,600 for health care and lab supplies; $7,500 for postage, $6,000 for travel and mileage; $14,500 for printing, $6,000 for insurance; $9,600 for utilities; $7,000 for equipment repair, $1.62 million for maintenance and service contracts; $120,000 for other rental; $37,400 for furniture and fixtures; $298,000 for motor vehicles, $98,300 for other equipment, and $188,590 for construction and reconstruction.
Nick Doffin, director of Lake County’s Health Department, said salaries for paraprofessionals are high because the positions are skilled and the individuals are highly paid, such as nurse practitioners.
Doffin said the department created its funding plan between July 1 and Sept. 1 last year.
“We could not get everything committed in that time period,” Doffin said. Some of those funds were put into contractual line items because the department will likely partner with agencies that already are providing the services it needs to offer, he said.
The new funding did not come without some controversy. A handful of individuals attended council meetings and commissioners’ meetings objecting to officials taking the added revenue, citing concern of government overreach, perceived intent for new vaccine mandates and a lack of transparency in how and on whom the funds will be spent. However, no one protested the final approval of the bill.
