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Health First Allen County grant awards announced for 2025

For immediate release

Fort Wayne (Nov. 19, 2024) – The Allen County Department of Health will continue in 2025 to work with community partners to promote and protect public health, providing them with needed resources to continue and expand efforts to improve the health of local residents.

Health First Allen County (HFAC), a Department of Health initiative established in 2023, includes a public health grant program aimed at developing a robust and diverse platform for delivery of nearly two dozen Core Public Health Services. The inaugural round of grant awards was announced last year, and the Department of Health is again pleased to invest in the health of Allen County residents with the help of local organizations.

Today, we announce $2,911,500 in grant funding to organizations for work in eight Core Public Health Service areas: Maternal & Child Health; Student Health; Tobacco Cessation & Education; Trauma & Injury Prevention & Education; Access & Linkage/Referrals to Clinical Care; Chronic Disease Prevention & Reduction; Fatality Review & Prevention; and Child & Adult Immunizations.

“The commitment and dedication of so many of our partners to improving public health continues to excite and encourage us,” Department of Health Administrator Mindy Waldron said. “Once again, they stepped up to offer ideas to serve the residents of Allen County. We’re so thankful for their willingness and ability to help with such important issues.”

The Department of Health continues to provide essential services in areas such as immunizations and communicable disease testing and prevention, food inspection – including inspection of restaurants – and other consumer protection programs, vector and pollution control and abatement, and keeping and providing vital records such as birth and death certificates.

“We can do a lot to get and keep Allen County residents healthy, and these partners are essential to helping us expand our reach and do even more,” Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Gutwein said. “We’re excited to continue working to move the needle toward improving health in our community.”

A list of grant award winners and descriptions of Core Public Health Service area programming can be found here: 2025 Grant Awards & Summaries.

HFAC was launched after intensive study of the state’s public health delivery system, which resulted in the Health First Indiana funding and service delivery initiatives. Indiana lawmakers and Allen County officials approved new and much-need funding for local health departments across the state to make improvements, including providing or working with partners to provide the Core Public Health Services.

In addition to Key Performance Indicators (KPI) required through the state initiative, the Department of Health is developing local KPIs for 2025 in areas that will address infant mortality, communicable disease prevention, childhood lead testing and case management, as well as childhood and adult vaccinations.

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