A federal funding freeze would have major impacts on Arizona public health programs

Federal courts have temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s effort to freeze federal grant payments. But Arizona’s state and county public health departments could be significantly impacted if such cuts eventually take effect.

“Our state has been almost entirely reliant on federal funds for their public health programming,” said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association.

Humble, who is also a former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said in Arizona, the bulk of the budgets for almost all state and county public health programs is actually federal grant money. And he said payments usually come as reimbursements after county Boards of Supervisors cover upfront costs.

“[Counties have] already spent millions of dollars and now they don’t have confidence that they’re going to get paid back for the drugs and the vaccines and the staff time and the materials and equipment that they’ve already purchased with county money,” Humble said.

The White House has said it intends to continue its effort to implement the freeze.

"In the coming weeks and months, more executive action will continue to end the egregious waste of federal funding," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Humble said federal grants in question include those that back a huge range of public health programs in Arizona.

“Adult vaccines, public health preparedness and readiness, overdose and substance use disorder programs, maternal and child health, sexually transmitted infection programs, [tuberculosis] screening – all of this stuff is federally funded and it’s all at risk,” Humble said.

Humble said the state and counties don’t have the budgets to make up the costs of those programs.