Health Department explains grant requests to County Commissioners

Friday, February 28, 2025 at 12:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

The Marshall County Commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) submitted by County Health Department Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Paul Shumaker for a Closed Point of Dispensing (POD) for mass prophylaxis in the future.

Shumaker explained that the MOU must be approved under the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Grant. Attorney Surrisi has reviewed the agreement and clarified that it serves as a template in the event of an emergency declaration. In the county, an emergency that necessitates a mass prophylaxis disbursement would require the MOU to be updated with the necessary details and ratified by the Commissioners.

Sandy Dunfee, Administrator of the County Health Department, requested to apply for a Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Grant offered by the Indiana Department of Health. She mentioned that St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is the current recipient of the grant, but the Health Department is contributing $25,000 of Health First Indiana funding to the Breathe Easy program. She aims to add the two local Breathe Easy Marshall County staff members to the Marshall County Health Department staff to maintain the momentum already established through the partnership. The grant request would be for $350,000 to $400,000 over two years. Funding would cover the wages and benefits for the two full-time positions and support school programming and the “Stash Uncovered” educational cargo trailer.

The commissioners expressed their support but recommended meeting with the county’s Personnel Subcommittee for a recommendation on hiring the two employees for the Health Department.

Dunfee also asked to apply for the Indiana Immunization Coalition’s Indiana Rural Health Mini-Grant. The $5,000 grant would be used for cancer screening services, including mammograms and PSA tests for men. Marshall County residents without health insurance or financial means could receive assistance from this grant. The commissioners approved this grant application request.