NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Due to budget cuts by the Trump Administration, Mayor Freddie O’Connell says this will impact how local health leaders handle things like cases of measles.
These job cuts are due to a loss of $14 million in grants from the federal government and the mayor’s office worries it could delay critical health initiatives.
Nashville’s metro public health department says they have to make tough decisions, including layoffs of highly- skilled workers as essential funding dries up.
“We are losing from Metro Public Health departments 7 to 8 staff members who are doing great work, but these positions were grant funded,” said Mayor O’Connell.
Staff members working on critical programs like those for health shelters and measles vaccinations have already been lost. Putting the city’s fight against the outbreak in jeopardy according to health officials.
“We encourage everyone to take steps to protect their health and the health of the community through interventions like immunizations,” said Joanna Shaw-KaiKai, Director of Health and Chief Medical Officer for the Metro Public Health Department.
In addition to this, Vanderbilt University Medical Center is preparing to reduce its budget significantly as a result of federal policy changes under the Trump Administration.
“Vanderbilt University Medical Center is preparing to reduce its budget by $250 million as a result of federal policy changes under the Trump administration,” said Shaw-KaiKai
When we reached out to Vanderbilt today, they sent a statement saying their hiring process for most research positions is currently paused and they will continue to hire frontline staff to accommodate for the future growth of the hospital.
According to the health department, 60 % of the functions at Metro Public Health come from grants the department receives. One of the grants is the ELC grant, related to helping with Covid responses.
The Trump Administration says they are cutting the funds because the pandemic is over and do not think there is a need for the funds.
“Our team will always work to find new ways to bring important health services to our community. No matter the funding mechanism as the legal battle continues,” said O’Connell.
The mayor says Metro Health and Finance is working to identify every possible funding source to cover funding costs until they get the federal funds secured.
Get reports like this and all the news of the day in Middle Tennessee delivered to your inbox each morning with the FOX 17 News Daily Newsletter.