Officials from the Washtenaw County Health Department are voicing both uncertainty and worry regarding Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent appointment as head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
RFK Jr.’s tenure as head of the Department of HHS is expected to involve many health care shake-ups. The county health department receives nearly 30% of its annual budget from the federal government.
Health Department Spokesperson Susan Ringler-Cerniglia says it’s a very real possibility that RFK Jr. will revoke that funding.
“If, for example, federal resources that come to us in different ways through the state were to be eliminated, is that eventually going to have an impact on our services? Yes. Yes, it could.”
Ringler-Cerniglia says the WCHD also receives federal guidelines for its health care policies. She says health department officials feel disconcerted about operating under a leadership that is wary of vaccines and goes against established science.
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