Kane County expects health funding boost

The Kane County Health Department is counting itself on the love side of the love/hate issue of health care reform, at least when it comes to new funding sources.

Kane County Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert detailed billions of new federal dollars for county public health programs Tuesday.

Kuehnert said the new federal dollars may bolster budgets in particular for programs like Fit for Kids, a push to encourage healthy diets and active lifestyles, and Kane Kares, providing support to mothers during pregnancy and early child rearing.

"Embedded in the legislation are some new opportunities for public health and some significant dollars," Kuehnert said. "Hopefully we'll see some of the money this year."

The department has had budget problems the past couple of years that sparked layoffs and the need for the county to create what amounted to a line of credit for the department as grants evaporated in the recession.

Among the opportunities created by the health care reform legislation is $500 million of new money for a Prevention and Public Health Fund, for activities such as health screenings. It also creates a pool of $3 billion over five years in state grants for early childhood home visitation to improve the health of new moms and babies.

Gerald Jones, chairman of the county board's Public Health Committee, said the foresight and planning has set the county up perfectly to win some of the new federal funds when it applies.

"Our Fit for Kids program really has a hand-in-glove situation for us to expand that program now," Jones said. "And with Kane Kares, we certainly have enough qualified young mothers in this county that we could easily double that program. We are in a great position to take advantage."