Health First Allen County grant funding awarded to public health partners

For immediate release

Fort Wayne (Nov. 12, 2025) – The Allen County Department of Health continues working to improve public health, partnering again with more than a dozen valued nonprofit organizations committed to collaborative, innovative efforts to make and keep residents healthy.

Today, we announce $840,000 in public health grant funding for 2026 to 13 local organizations through Health First Allen County – an initiative launched in 2023 to ensure a strong and stable platform to deliver Core Public Health Services prescribed by state law. The Health Department has provided nearly $6 million to partner organizations since the public health grant program began with the establishment of Health First Allen County.

In 2026, funded organizations will work in seven Core Public Health Service areas: Maternal & Child Health; Trauma & Injury Prevention; Access & Referrals to Clinical Care; Chronic Disease Prevention; School & Student Health; Immunizations; and Fatality Review & Prevention.

“Our partners are as reliable as they are creative and dedicated,” Department of Health Administrator Mindy Waldron said. “These are organizations that have worked for years to help in a variety of important areas. They have stepped up again to serve the residents of Allen County, and we continue to be thankful for their thoughtful approaches and willingness to tackle such challenging issues.”

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

“Simply put, these partners help us broaden our reach to do more,” Allen County Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Gutwein said. “It’s encouraging to know so many care so deeply about those in our community.”

A list of grant award winners and descriptions of Core Public Health Service area programming can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/59yncew6

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

In this year’s legislative session, funding for Health First Indiana was reduced by nearly 75% for local health departments, beginning in 2026. As a result, the Health First Allen County public health grant program underwent changes to accommodate funding reductions, though it still strives to meet as many Core Public Health Services as required by state law.

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