Will County Health Department Pleads for $1 Million to Avert ‘Weakened Public Health System’

Will County Board Finance Committee Meeting | October 21, 2025

Article Summary: Leaders and board members from the Will County Health Department made an impassioned plea for $1 million in county funding to retain 11 critical positions, warning that expiring grants will otherwise force devastating cuts to immunization, HIV prevention, and maternal health programs.

Will County Health Department Funding Key Points:

• The Health Department is facing the loss of 11 positions across four core public health programs due to expiring COVID-era ARPA funds and other grant reductions.

• Officials are requesting $1 million from the county’s general fund to make the positions permanent and avoid what they called a return to a “weakened public health system.”

• Services at risk include in-school and homebound vaccination programs, HIV/STI testing and prevention, and case management for at-risk mothers and infants.

• Multiple speakers provided emotional testimony about the real-world impact the cuts would have on vulnerable residents, from children needing school immunizations to homebound seniors.

JOLIET, IL – Facing the loss of 11 critical staff members due to expiring grants, leaders from the Will County Health Department on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, issued an urgent plea to the County Board’s Finance Committee for $1 million in funding to prevent a significant reduction in public health services.

During a lengthy public comment period, a procession of doctors, nurses, program managers, and board members detailed the potential consequences of the impending staff cuts, which they said would cripple programs for immunizations, HIV/STI prevention, and maternal and child health.

“Public health threats aren’t going away. They are returning to an even more weakened system, demanding more, not less, of our local public health workforce,” said Elizabeth Batada, the department’s executive director. “We don’t want to return to an even more weakened public health system just as chronic health changes, opioid overdoses, maternal health issues, and future outbreaks demand more.”

The 11 positions, which include registered nurses, managers, and a clerk, were funded by temporary federal grants like the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). With that funding ending, the department is asking the county to absorb the cost into its general operating budget.

Denise Bergen, the department’s assistant executive director, outlined the financial strain, noting that over the past 10 years, department expenses have risen 48.5% while its county levy allocation has increased by only 14.1%.

The most direct impacts would be felt in the Family Health Services division. Sylvia Mise, the division’s director, warned that losing half of the immunization staff—two nurses, a manager, and a clerk—would force the department to scale back or eliminate key outreach efforts. “The removal of on-site school clinics will result in the exclusion of more children who are non-compliant with vaccine requirements,” Mise said. “Fewer to no appointments will be available at satellite offices and the homebound program will cease.”

Jodie Falica, a nurse who conducts homebound visits, shared stories of patients who cannot leave their homes. “These people literally cannot get out of their house… they cannot get their pneumonia, their flu or whatever vaccines they want unless we go to the home,” Falica said.

The cuts would also reduce staff in the HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) surveillance programs by two nurses and a manager. Caprint Merrick, the program manager whose position is at risk, said this would lead to less access to HIV testing and preventative care, potentially increasing the spread of the virus.

Speakers emphasized that the department serves as a critical safety net. Pam Robbins, a registered nurse and health board member, shared the story of a fellow nurse who lost her job and insurance shortly after giving birth and turned to the department for her baby’s immunizations and temporary Medicaid coverage. “These are people that are found in healthcare gaps,” Robbins said. “This is what the Will County Public Health Care does for every person that walks through that door.”

The finance committee did not take action on the request, which comes as the board simultaneously debates how to close an $8.9 million budget shortfall.