A state budget bill provision would force small Ohio cities to absorb their health districts into their county health department.
House Bill 110 would effectively shut down shut city health districts in Warren, Salem and in East Liverpool.

Those cities will have to evaluate how efficient and effective it would be for them to continue to have their own health district.
The bill targets cities with populations under 50,000.

Warren deputy health commissioner, John May, says he doesn't understand why they are being targeted since the district often gets grants to specifically serve the city's large minority community, including a recent grant to give out covid vaccines.

"Basically all of the census tracks that this grant spoke to was right here as far as disparities, health inequities, basically those individuals who are under served or are often overlooked are right here," said May.

Salem Mayor, John Berlin, says the state only kicks in about $3000 in funding a year.
He says Salem actually did get rid of it's health district more than ten years ago but then quickly realized they needed it back.

"There were some issues with getting people inoculated. School age children who needed a shot who didn't have insurance and that's who our program is really for," said Berlin.

Mayor Berlin says the district also does food and restaurant inspections up to four times a year, all things he says the city wants to do themselves to keep its citizens safe.

House Bill 110 passed the house and is now being discussed in the senate. If passed, cities would have 30 months to prove why their health districts should remain.