Because of state funding cuts, the St. Joseph County Health Department is no longer considering a move into its own building, and it might need to cut staff.
To improve parking and accessibility, County Commissioners in December announced they were considering moving the health department from the County-City Building into the former American National University building at Eddy Street and Jefferson Boulevard.
But in the recent Indiana General Assembly, lawmakers cut county health department funding by 73% for the next two years.
St. Joseph County Health Officer Dr. Michelle Migliore says that will cut her department’s state funding from $6.2 million this year to $1.7 million next year. That, as the county receives less revenue because of the General Assembly’s property tax cuts.
“Unless we can do all that we need to do in the public health arena, with the current funding, it’s not conscionable for us to be moving right now," Migliore says.
Migliore said it will be another month or so before she knows whether staff cuts will be needed.
“I do not want to create panic or anxiety and cause distress for people unnecessarily. We are trying not to cut anybody. We’ve lost a lot of sleep in trying to figure out how to make this work.”
