Snohomish County Health Department braces for state funding reductions
EVERETT — The Snohomish County Health Department may face cuts later this year after the state Legislature did not restore an estimated $21 million in public health funding.
The Foundational Public Health Services program was facing a $50 million cut at the beginning of the legislative session — $29 million from the state operating budget and $21 million due to changes in vapor taxes. Lawmakers replaced the funding in the budget, but it did not pass any of the four bills looking to resolve the vapor tax issue, resulting in a $21 million cut statewide.
The state’s Foundational Public Health Services account was created in 2019. Some of the funding gets funneled to local health jurisdictions, such as the Snohomish County Health Department. The department receives $6.8 million per year — or 25% of its budget — from Foundational Public Health Services funding.
About 56% of the department’s staff are at least partially funded through Foundational Public Health Services, Snohomish County Health Department Director Kim Van Pelt said in a February interview. The funding also goes toward specific programs, including communicable disease control, maternal child and family health, and environmental public health. The department has used the funding to mitigate the measles outbreak and respond to the December floods.
https://www.heraldnet.com/2026/04/06/snohomish-county-health-department-braces-for-state-funding-reductions/