VALDOSTA – With the push from Gov. Brian Kemp’s office to cut budgets statewide, departments such as the South Health District are feeling the effects.

During the meeting of the Lowndes County Board of Health earlier this week, members discussed how state budget cuts would affect local health efforts.

Teresa Giles, district administrator, reported to the board it is already prepared for a 4% cut and that another 1% cut is possible, totaling 5%. Dr. William Grow, district health director, said state lawmakers had yet to vote on the 5% cut, but he expects it to pass.

Giles said the health department receives funding from four sources: state grant-in-aid, county funding, fees earned on services provided and grants. The cut is to grant-in-aid specifically. 

Receiving advanced warning of the cuts, Grow noted the department is able to adjust its budget and accommodate the cuts by not filling non-critical job vacancies and significantly reducing travel allowances.

Most importantly, the South Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health will not cut or reduce any of its offered services, Grow said.

“We will not have any reduction in services because we’ve been adept to this by having advanced notice,” Grow said.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2021 will be a 2% cut from the FY2020 budget, but the department will prepare accordingly to ensure no services are cut, Giles said.

“We’re always looking ahead,” she said. “We’re always six months minimum ahead in our planning.”

Grow emphasized he could only speak for the 10 counties in the south district.

In other matters, Kyle Coppage, environmental health county manager, updated the board that the department performed its first local lead investigation in Ben Hill County.

Formerly run through Savannah, Coppage told The Valdosta Daily Times that the South Health District now possesses the capability to perform local lead investigations with the XRF testing machine.

He said lead investigations are routine procedures that trigger after a child tests for more than 10 micrograms of lead per milliliter. After such a reading, officials would go to the site to find the source of the lead.

“When the pediatrician does the test, the health department will go out there and try to identify the source,” Coppage said. “Now we have a little more capacity to do it because we can do our own locally.”

Performing its own local lead investigations will provide faster and more efficient investigations for the South Health District, he said.

Grow also said the South Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health will host a Mind & Body Wellness Health Fair, 8 a.m.-noon, Feb. 15. Held at the South Health District office on 325 W. Savannah Ave., the fair will offer free blood pressure, HgbA1C, blood sugar and cholesterol checks in addition to weight/BMI checks. Register online at www.southhealthdistrict.com.