Clark County Public Health braces for 19% cut in funding

Clark County Public Health is losing about one-fifth of the funding that pays for such crucial tasks as investigating communicable disease outbreaks, analyzing health data and preventing chronic disease.

A statewide initiative known as Foundational Public Health Services will provide Clark County Public Health $5.527 million in the 2027 fiscal year, which begins in July — down $1.288 million, or 19 percent, from 2026.

The Foundational Public Health Services Steering Committee already had identified systemwide reductions that cut $395,000 from four types of work within Clark County Public Health programs: addressing hepatitis C, child deaths, workforce capacity and emergency preparedness and response.

This leaves $893,000 in reductions for the Clark County Council to determine, said Dannette York, Clark County Public Health’s deputy director, during Wednesday’s Board of Health meeting.

In March, the county council adopted a resolution calling on the Legislature to maintain funding through Foundational Public Health Services after the state’s ongoing budget challenges led to cuts of $12 million from the program this fiscal year across Washington.

Those reductions totaled about $175,000 in Clark County. Further cuts to the public health services were a result of Gov. Bob Ferguson’s approved supplemental budget, which cut $29 million from Foundational Public Health Services. In the original 2025-27 budget adopted last year, the Legislature allocated more than $300 million to the initiative.

Foundational Public Health Services lost another source of funding when the state changed its approach to taxing vapor products, which are now treated as tobacco products. The change means tax dollars on vapor products that were going toward Foundational Public Health Services will now go to the general fund.

Councilor Glen Yung expressed frustration over the state’s vapor tax changes.

“It’s a crime what happened at the state — that these funds were taken from revenue that was generated by a product that creates significant health impacts, and that funding went towards addressing health public health issues,” Yung said. “It got taken away.”

Next steps

The Clark County Council, acting as the Board of Health, has to decide by May 26 which budget cuts to make. After that, Clark County Public Health must submit a detailed list of those reductions to the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials.

The quick turnaround is to ensure the state Department of Health can change the contract it has with Clark County Public Health before the new fiscal year starts on July 1.

During Wednesday’s meeting, York said Clark County Public Health learned the exact reduction in Foundational Public Health Services funding about a week and a half ago, forcing the department to quickly identify possible budget solutions.

Yung — along with council Chair Sue Marshall, Councilor Wil Fuentes and Councilor Michelle Belkot — supported shifting baseline, flexible Foundational Public Health Services funding to support the program categories facing cuts.

That approach also was supported by the Public Health Advisory Council, which is composed of 23 unpaid residents who review priority public health needs and make periodic recommendations to the Board of Health.

Councilors emphasized the need for transparency and further examination of all public health programs.

“I think times like this really force us to look inward and determine what our priorities are for the community,” Yung said.

Without a workable long-term solution, Clark County Public Health risks losing funding for critical programs, Fuentes said. The county narrowly avoided a proposed $100,000 reduction in immunization outreach, education and response, he added.

Clark County Public Health Director Dr. Alan Melnick has expressed concern about slipping vaccination rates.

“All these foundational public health services, they’re all critical,” Melnick said.