ELLSWORTH — Federal grant funding is up in the air for Pierce County Public Health as county leaders look to plan for what is to come.

“I emailed all of you last week that we had had money terminated from federal grants unilaterally by the federal government,” Director/Health Officer AZ Snyder said during the April 9 Pierce County Board of Health meeting. “The State of Wisconsin joined a lawsuit to try to prevent the funds from being terminated, and for Wisconsin it was $225 million. It was not an insignificant rescission of funds.”

Snyder said a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to block the termination of funds that amounts to $50,000 of immunization funds and $2,500 of COVID testing funds for the county. In addition, a $2,000 grant from the Department of Transportation for the county to buy and install car seats for those who cannot afford them was blocked.

“Unfortunately, the car seat grant was not part of the lawsuit, and we permanently, likely, lost that $2,000 of funding,” Snyder said. “Which $2,000 doesn’t seem like a lot, but that buys a lot of car seats.”

Expenses that would have fallen into the grants are being tracked so if the grants are reinstated, the county can attribute the costs to them. Snyder said they are asking United Way for extra funding to support the continuation of the car seat program.

While the $50,000 was one-time funding and will not alter next year’s budget, losing it would still have a major impact on Pierce County Public Health.

“If we did lose that $50,000, that would be really tough on our budget,” Snyder said. “That time supports public health nurses’ time to do immunization clinics in schools, in the community, to do outreach to populations.”

Snyder also reported on Medicaid and Medicare revenue during the meeting. According to census data analyzed by Georgetown University, about 16% of Pierce County residents have some form of Medicaid coverage, including nearly one-third of children and 12% of elders. Pierce County certified almost 5,000 members for Badgercare, Medicaid for elderly and disabled people and other types of Medicaid coverage.

“This just gives you a snapshot of how much we as Pierce County Public Health depend on Medicaid for our own operations,” Snyder said. “It makes up about 12% of Pierce County Public Health’s revenue, so approximately a quarter of a million dollars every year.”

Generated revenue primarily goes to the federally mandated Birth to 3 program that supports the development of children from when they are born until they turn 3 years old. Some of the remaining funds go to immunizations and family planning services.