Prince George’s health department outlines FY26 budget, opioid abatement fund and risks to grant‑funded services

The Prince George’s County Health Department told the County Council’s Health, Human Services and Public Safety Committee that its proposed fiscal 2026 budget is $106.7 million and that the department faces significant grant‑funding risk, staffing shortages for grant‑funded positions and operational challenges with its permitting system.

David Noto, the county budget analyst, said the department’s FY26 proposal is $106,700,000, an increase of $14.6 million from the FY25 approved budget. He said 32% of the proposed budget is general fund, 56.6% grant funding and 11.3% from a new Opioid Local Abatement Special Revenue Fund. Noto said the opioid fund is a new county account with $12.1 million in FY26 from the county’s share of the national opioid settlement and state allotments; the department will use those funds for permitted opioid remediation purposes and expects some funding to continue for up to 18 years, though annual amounts may vary.

Noto and Health Officer Dr. Akil H. Levy (introduced by the department) told the committee that many health‑department services are legally required through the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) and that reduced state or federal grants could force reductions in required work such as hearing and vision screening, TB control, immunizations, pool and restaurant inspections, septic and well inspections, and communicable disease control. Noto said the department had a limited‑term grant‑funded vacancy rate of 87% as of March and that low compensation for hard‑to‑fill positions is a recruitment barrier.

The presentation covered capital projects. Noto said the ribbon cutting for the new regional health and human services center was April 1 and that the department will move into the building shortly. He also described a WSSC water‑septic connection project in underserved communities that uses $1.6 million in congressional directed spending and county matching funds to connect households with failing septic systems to the WSSC sewer system. The Chevrolet Clinic building remains problematic, the department said, with ongoing maintenance issues.

Noto and Dr. Levy said the county’s Momentum permitting and licensing electronic system is not fully functional and continues to cause inaccurate inspection and permit counts and operational inefficiencies, requiring staff to assist clients with applications.

Dr. Levy summarized department accomplishments and strategic priorities, including a new strategic plan with four priorities (chronic disease, maternal health, behavioral health and access to care). He said the department had collected about $66.7 million in previously owed accounts receivable in FY25 and had hired roughly 75 staff despite hiring freezes and budget uncertainty. Dr. Levy emphasized that public health is a public‑safety function and warned that grant reductions could reduce clinical and inspection capacity.

On behavioral health infrastructure, committee members asked about the Dyer Care Center (the county’s crisis care center). Dr. Levy said the Dyer Center is operational, has 16 beds and can receive walk‑ins, law‑enforcement transports and MRT referrals, but staff and the county are working through some final operational hurdles. Council members asked about a 40‑bed residential treatment facility included in budget documents; Dr. Levy and other staff clarified there is no current funded plan to open a 40‑bed residential treatment facility in FY26 and that the references in the capital plan are out‑year placeholders without current funding.

Why it matters: public‑health services — including inspections, communicable‑disease control, maternal and behavioral health services — are largely grant funded and the department said it faces staff‑shortage and grant risks that could reduce service levels.

Looking ahead: the department will move into the new regional center and begin implementation of strategic priorities. Council staff and departmental leaders said they will monitor federal and state grant actions and the department will pursue private philanthropy and state coordination to fill gaps where possible.