On Air Now

County health board approves a budget for fiscal year 2017

Members of the Knox County Board of Health approved its budget for the next fiscal year Thursday night.
Public Health Administrator Michele Gabriel says the total amount of the next year’s budget, about $4.4 million dollars, is about the same as fiscal year 2015.

The public health budget is slightly down from FY16 because it lost grants.

The health department also wanted some flexibility in case the legislature fails to pass a budget by the end of the year.

But new state rules on vaccinations for the poor or uninsured could add extra costs.

Historically, the state provided doses of vaccines for people in the federal Medicaid program and those in state Medicaid programs.

But starting October 1, the state will now only give the vaccines for people in the federal Medicaid program.

Gabriel says they’re considering buying vaccines themselves so no one in Knox County goes without and get reimbursed by Medicaid.

“What I’ve tried to do is give the projected annual cost of this additional vaccine which is almost $17,000. Jerome (Townsell, Director of Finance and Facilities)  had increased the budget already for this,” Gabriel says.

Gabriel says she’s pleased with the third-quarter financial report for the health center and expects it break even at the end of the year. 

Next year’s health department budget now goes to the Knox County Board and then it will be finalized.

The new fiscal year begins December 1st.

Recommended Posts

Loading...

Share Contact

contact-chris-mcintyre-qr-code