County commissioners choose to participate in public health initiative

During the June 12 joint session, county health officer Dr. Rex Allman asked the county commissioners if they would like to opt-in to the governor’s public health initiative. After hearing his presentation, they ultimately decided it would be in the county's best interest to participate. Allman said that Holcomb's aim was to fund it with state appropriations, not grants. The money would be used to improve the overall health of Indiana, which ranks 47 out of 50 states for how much we as a state spend on healthcare. Starting in January 2024, the county will continue to be funded at the same level as they have been funded. Allman said the average over the last four years has been about $190,000. Under the initiative, the state would give the county a minimum of $164,000 the first year and it would increase in a phased-in approach over a five year cycle.