In 2025, Indiana’s “historic” public health initiative will gain full participation from all 98 counties, with a total of $150 million set to be dispersed to local health departments. This initiative, known as Health First Indiana, was established as a result of legislation passed in 2023 that revamped the state’s public health system. County elected officials were given the authority to decide whether to accept funding from Health First Indiana in order to provide additional core public health services.
In 2024, all but six local health departments opted to receive a total of $75 million, a significant increase from the $7 million that counties used to share annually from the state. Moving forward to 2025, Crawford, Fountain, Harrison, Johnson, Wells, and Whitley counties will be joining the initiative. Governor Eric Holcomb expressed gratitude for the full participation in the initiative, stating that the investment will lead to improved health outcomes for Hoosiers.
The funding received by counties must be used for at least 60 percent on core preventative services such as immunizations, chronic disease prevention, and maternal and child health. The Indiana Department of Health emphasized the importance of allowing local health departments to have a say in how the funding is allocated since they are best suited to understand the needs of their communities. With local health departments now empowered to implement new health strategies and services
