INDIANAPOLIS – All 92 Indiana counties have signed onto a state effort to provide $150 million in enhanced funding for public health departments in the coming year in exchange for providing “core” public health services.
“Core” public health services include maternal and child health, tobacco and vaping cessation, chronic disease management, trauma and injury prevention, and more. Over three-quarters of the funding must cover prevention and health outcome core services while the remaining 22% can be used for regulatory expenses.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle called six holdout counties that opted out of the program in 2024 and verified that each will be participating in the 2025 cohort. Barring any changes to the 86 counties that participated last year, every county will receive additional funding from the Indiana Department of Health’s Health First Indiana program.
Funding coincides with the fiscal year, which starts on July 1, rather than the calendar year. The Indiana Department of Health didn’t respond to a request for comment.
In 2022, the Indiana General Assembly earmarked $225 million for a two-year program to shore up the state’s beleaguered public health program. Before the investment, counties spent an average of $55 per resident for public health — far below the national average of $91.
In the first year, $75 million went to health departments in 86 Indiana counties including Jackson, Bartholomew, Jennings, Brown, Decatur, and Shelby, locally. It covered nearly 96% of the population.
But six counties in the Hoosier state— Johnson, Whitley, Wells, Fountain, Crawford, and Harrison — all declined to join the 2024 efforts for various reasons. Those counties passed up a combined maximum of nearly $3.9 million and accepted $387,000 in legacy funding instead.
Johnson County, the most populous county of the bunch, gave up the bulk of that funding and could have received $2.1 million in 2024. In comparison, its legacy funding amounted to $132,000.
In 2025, Johnson County qualifies for a minimum of $3.6 million, with a county match of $789,000, or a maximum of $4.2 million, with a county match of $1.1 million.
Betsy Swearingen, the director of Johnson County’s Public Health Department, said that commissioners voted unanimously to accept funding in 2025 after declining last year.
“My commissioners the year prior were waiting to see how the funds rolled out and whether or not it would behoove Johnson to take the money,” Swearingen said. “And so we revisited it throughout the year, and we realized that we’re doing a lot of programs and not getting paid for it.”
She continued, “We’re excited. We are planning and partnering with individuals, groups, and anyone in Johnson County looking to better our public health, and that’s what we plan on pushing out.”
Read the complete Whitney Downard sorry for the Indiana Capital Chronicle, here.
