♪♪ >> Eric: THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FACES BUDGET TROUBLE ALONG WITH OTHER STATE AGENCIES AMIDST FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS.

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT HAS ANNOUNCED APPROXIMATELY 170 LAYOFFS.

ON THURSDAY, UNION ORGANIZERS AND M.D.H.

EMPLOYEES RALLIED AGAINST THOSE ROLLBACKS TO PUBLIC HEALTH.

HERE WITH MORE IS HEALTH COMMISSIONER DR. BROOKE CUNNINGHAM.

WELL, HOW UNCERTAIN IS YOUR BUDGET SITUATION, AND HOW, ARE YOU WORKING ON SOME KIND OF ALTERNATIVE?

WHERE DOES THIS ALL STAND TONIGHT?

>> UNFORTUNATELY IT'S VERY UNCERTAIN.

I THINK ALL STATE AGENCIES, THAT IS THE CASE.

WE ARE HEAVILY RELIANT ON FEDERAL FUNDS, THAT'S SORT OF HOW THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN BUILT.

MY AGENCY IS 50% FEDERALLY FUNDED, AND CERTAIN SECTIONS LIKE OUR INFECTIOUS DISEASE PROGRAMS AND OUR PUBLIC HEALTH LAB ARE 90% FEDERALLY FUNDED.

AND WE'VE HAD REALLY A LOT OF SUCCESS IN SECURING FEDERAL AWARDS BUT NOW WE'RE IN A PLACE WHERE WE'RE SEEING THOSE AWARDS BEING TAKEN BACK, TAKEN BACK WITH NO ADVANCE NOTICE AND SO THAT MAKES YOU FEEL VERY UNCERTAIN IN AN AGENCY THAT RELIES ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BE A PARTNER.

>> Cathy: SO IF THERE WAS ANOTHER LARGE DISEASE OUTBREAK, ARE YOU SAYING THAT WOULD BE DIFFICULT FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT TO TRACK IT?

>> O WE ARE, IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE ROLLING BACK TO SORT OF PRE-PANDEMIC TIMES.

WE STILL HAVE TEAMS IN PLACE.

WE BRAID FUNDING.

WE HAVE A CORE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY GRANTED THAT WE'VE HAD FOR MANY MANY YEARS, BUT THESE MONEYS THAT WERE JUST TAKEN WERE MANY TIMES THAT, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO REALLY INVEST IN DATA INFRASTRUCTURE, TO BUILD OUR IMMUNIZATION SYSTEM, TO MODERNIZE IT, TO MODERNIZE ANALYTICS, TO GO OUT INTO COMMUNITIES.

ONE OF THE THINGS E LEARN FROM THE COVID PANDEMIC WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP IN REAL CONCRETE WAYS, AND THESE FUNDS SUPPORTED THOSE PARTNERSHIPS.

AND SO I AM WORRIED ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE SAME LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TIMELY RESPONSIVENESS TO DIFFERENT SETTINGS.

>> Cathy: IS THIS MONEY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, AS THIS THE COVID MONEY IN LARGE PART?

BECAUSE THAT WAS GOING TO WIND DOWN ANYWAY, RIGHT?

>> IT'S CALLED COVID, THE NAME SAYS COVID, BUT IT ALSO SAYS EXPANSION GRANTS.

SO IT'S EPIDEMIOLOGY AND LABORATORY CAPACITY EXPANSION GRANTS.

SO IT IS FOR THOSE CORE SCIENCE TEAMS.

IT'S FOR OUR LABS, IT'S FOR DATA INFRASTRUCTURE, IT'S FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND IT'S TO ADDRESS THE CHRONIC GAPS IN PUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THE PANDEMIC REVEALED TO US IN A REALLY TROUBLING WAY.

>> Eric: IS THE PROGRAMS THAT FIGHT MEASLES, FOR INSTANCE, THE VACCINATION PROGRAMS, THAT'S SOMETHING THE BE ON HE GROUND AND PEOPLE AFFECTED BY, ARE THOSE IN DANGER?

>> AGAIN, OUR INFECTIOUS DISEASE TEAMS ARE 90% FEDERALLY FUNDED, SO WHEN YOU AY IN DANGER, WE CONTINUE TO DO THE WORK, BUT WE WILL HAVE, IF WE HAVE TO DO THESE LAYOFFS, LESS PEOPLE DOING THAT WORK.

AND THE THING IS, ERIC, YES, WE DID KNOW THAT THE GRANTS WOULD COME TO AN END, BUT THE WAY THIS ROLLED OUT THERE WAS NO ADVANCED NOTICE.

THERE WAS NO CLOSEOUT PERIOD.

USUALLY YOU'RE WATCHING THE END DATE FOR A GRANT SO THAT YOU CAN SWITCH TO ALTERNATIVE FUNDING.

>> Eric: SURE.

>> SO AT THIS POINT WE GOT A TERMINATION NOTICE ON A TUESDAY THAT WAS RETROACTIVE TO THE MONDAY.

>> Cathy: AND THE STATE CAN'T HELP YOU BACKFILL THIS.

>> NOT THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY.

NOT THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND CLEARLY OTHER AGENCIES IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY, THEY WILL IN THE FUTURE FACE SIMILAR CUTS.

>> Eric: GOVERNOR WALZ HAS TOLD THE AGENCIES SUCH AS YOURS TO HAVE SOME DIFFERENT SCENARIOS READY.

>> THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Eric: BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THE ONEY IS SO SCARCE AFTER THE FEDS BAILOUT THAT OPTIONS ARE HARD TO FIND MAYBE.

>> OPTIONS ARE CHALLENGING.

WE ARE CERTAINLY UNNING THOSE SCENARIOS.

WE ARE CERTAINLY LOOKING AT THE FUNDING FOR ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS.

I, YOU KNOW, HAVE TALKED TO MY STAFF, I NEED TO KNOW EVERY PERSON IN OUR AGENCIES, WHAT THEIR FUNDING STREAMS ARE, RIGHT, AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO PIVOT IF THOSE FUNDS GET CUT.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WERE FIRST ON THE SHOW WHEN YOU FIRST TOOK THE REINS OF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT AS THE NEW COMMISSIONER YOU TALKED AT LENGTH ABOUT YOUR ATTENTION TO EQUITY AND HEALTH CARE.

HOW MUCH THEN DO HOSE EFFORTS GET SIDELINED BECAUSE OF THESE BUDGET ISSUES?

>> THEY CAN'T GET SIDELINED.

WE CAN'T LET EQUITY GET SIDELINED.

IT'S FOUNDATIONAL TO OUR WORK.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH FOUNDATIONAL CAPABILITIES, EQUITY IS THE OVERARCHING APPROACH, AND EQUITY IS REALLY ABOUT BOTH HOW YOU DO THE WORK AND WITH WHOM YOU DO THE WORK.

SO PART OF MY CONCERN WITH THESE GRANTS, AND THERE WAS A COVID DISPARITIES GRANT THAT GOT CUT, AND I WILL TELL YOU, I DON'T KNOW THE TOTAL NUMBER ON THAT GRANT SPECIFICALLY, BUT IN THIS WHOLE BUCKET OF MONEYS THAT WERE CUT, WE HAD OVER 180 GRANTS AND CONTRACTS OUT TO COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS OUT TO TRIBES, OUT TO LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND MUCH OF HAT WORK IS TO WORK WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES TO ADDRESS HEALTH INEQUITIES AND TO EVEN HELP PEOPLE RECOVER FROM THE LINGERING EFFECTS OF COVID.