The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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January 10, 2010

County to hear update on health dept.

BY BRIAN L. HUCHEL

DANVILLE — The Vermilion County Board will receive an update on the status of the health department Tuesday.

Health department officials recently announced the first round of cuts as a result of money it’s owed by the state.

No action is slated to be taken as a result of the update, according to the board agenda.

Three state grant-funded programs — Healthy Families Illinois, All Our Kids Childhood Network and Targeted Intensive Prenatal Case Management — would all cease operations as of Jan. 31. With the eliminations, 12 positions were cut from the department.

Administrator Steve Laker has said the program and position cuts eliminate $423,792 in costs from the health department budget,

The end of November brought with it a dangerous money crisis for the health department as officials waited for about $800,000 owed to the health department by the State of Illinois. Last month, the department received $517,000 from the Illinois comptroller’s office — about 65 percent of the amount owed.

More than 80 percent of the health department’s budget consists of grant funding, with the majority — a little more than 55 percent — coming from the state. The rest are federal grants.

The health department still owes the county a $300,000 loan from last year.

Laker has formulated cuts scenarios including the most drastic, which would drop nine programs and 53 employees from the health department. That option is one step away from closing the department.

COMING UP

The Vermilion County Board will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday on the second-floor conference room of Old National Bank.

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