The St. Joseph County Health Department has laid off at least 10 people and, citing funding issues, they’ve closed their Mishawaka offices.
First the health department said state funding cuts killed its plans to move from the County-City Building downtown South Bend to a more accessible free-standing building at Eddy Street and Jefferson Boulevard. On Tuesday the department announced more, that it’s closed its Mishawaka immunization clinic and its vital records office in Mishawaka. Both were in the Government Services Building on Lincolnway.
And although they didn’t announce it, the health department also has let 10 employees go, according to an employee who asked not to be named.
It’s a different picture from the past two years, when the health department hired new staff and created new programming with millions of dollars in state funding from Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Health First Indiana initiative. Holcomb wanted to boost public health spending because the state ranks so poorly in health outcomes.
But newly elected Gov. Mike Braun in April signed a state budget bill reducing funding to counties and forcing them to reduce property taxes. The health department also has seen federal funding cuts this year under the Trump administration.
The health department’s director of operations, Mike Wruble, issued the press release announcing the Mishawaka clinic and office closures but Wruble declined WVPE’s interview request.
