Director says bigger threat to public health center is misinformation, not potential budget cuts

As the Trump administration, and its Department of Government Efficiency by proxy, set to cut funding for grants and government programs, officials in health-related systems are preparing to adjust.

For example, Missouri universities and research organizations are bracing to cut or find replacements for $100 million from administrative costs for research funded last year by the National Institutes of Health, as reported by the Missouri Independent.

The Trump administration also has withdrawn from the World Health Organization. In the days after taking office, Trump froze third-party communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the NIH. In February, a judge ordered the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration to restore webpages after Trump’s order. Many of those original communication orders have been lifted.

Locally, Autumn Grim, director of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, is less worried about federal funding cuts, since the center is at least partially funded locally through property taxes and state grants. Grim is more concerned about accurate information for the public.

She points to a measles outbreak in Texas as an example. A death reported Wednesday, Feb. 26, was the first from measles in the United States in 10 years. She called the child’s death “the ultimate price for misinformation” and the result of anti-vaccine rhetoric.

“In my opinion, the greatest risk to public health right now is that half of Americans get their health information from social media, so it's easy to feel like you are drowning in conflicting information because you are,” she said. “It’s very challenging for people to find trustworthy information. We will make every effort to provide guidance to those that ask questions, rather than a lecture; provide straight answers when we have them and be honest about when we don’t have the answers; and constantly remind ourselves that behind every story is a person who wants the best for themselves and their family.”

Grim did not specifically address the Trump administration or Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, in answers to questions about the anticipated effects of the Trump administration on the health care center.

A big part of the job of the health center is to provide vaccines. The center’s 2024 annual report showed that 44% of the nursing services provided by the center were immunizations. Kennedy Jr., the founder of a prominent anti-vaccine activist group, has been an outspoken skeptic on vaccine safety and effectiveness, and has been involved in lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers. He claimed the COVID-19 vaccine, which was developed and expedited under the Trump administration, as “the deadliest vaccine ever made” and was “targeted to attack Caucasians and black people,” according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. The CDC reports that the COVID-19 vaccines “underwent the most intensive safety analysis in U.S. history” and continue to be monitored for safety. Data shows that vaccinated individuals are less likely to die from COVID-19 or complications from the disease than those who are unvaccinated, according to information on the CDC’s website.

Kennedy was confirmed as the U.S. health secretary on Feb. 13 by a vote of 52 to 48 in the Senate. Kennedy claimed in his confirmation hearing he was not anti-vaccine, and would not interfere with current vaccine policy, according to reporting by KFF Health News.

Grim said the benefits from vaccines continue to far outweigh the risks involved. Citing stats per a peer-reviewed journal by the American Medical Association and the Institute of Medicine, Grim said that for every 10,000 children who get measles, there will be 2,000 hospitalizations, 10 cases of encephalitis, up to 30 deaths and up to 1,000 cases of ear infections and pneumonia. Meanwhile, in 10,000 children who are vaccinated for measles, there is less than one reported case of abnormal blood clotting and 0.035 allergic reactions.

The Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center issues immunizations for adults and children, including uninsured children and children on Medicaid. Some immunizations are required for foreign travel.

In 2024, according to its annual report, the health center took in $3.7 million in revenue and expended $3.2 million. Nearly 50% of its revenue came from state and federal grants and contracts. About 37% came from local tax revenue.

“Because public health isn’t consistently funded there is always a potential risk for funding cuts,” Grim said. “This has required most health centers to not only be resilient, but also have strong fiduciary responsibilities to spend funds to address community-level health concerns. It’s impossible to know what cuts may occur and the health center is committed to providing services to the community and, particularly, to those that might be unable to get those services elsewhere due to inability to pay. That commitment won’t change regardless of budget cuts. We will continue to look for resources that will help us provide those vaccines/services to those that have a need or the desire to attain those preventative types of interventions. Because our funding is typically dependent on the needs of a community, there is always an ebb and flow. We are well-versed in adjusting our sails and pivoting to meet whatever need arises.

“If the current administration wants to focus more on chronic disease, the health center can very easily focus more efforts on our obesity prevention activities, on heart-healthy information or food insecurity interventions. There is no shortage of health concerns to address over the next four years. We will tighten our belt like we have for decades to do more with less if that is what is required of us.”

In addition to immunizations, the health center also provides screenings and case management for tuberculosis; screenings/treatment and counseling for sexually transmitted diseases; investigations into communicable diseases; lead testing; and pregnancy testing. Nurses at the center also provide blood pressure checks and specialty injections. The center is also the local registrar for birth and death certificates. It provides other programs, working with partners to provide services such as dental screenings and CPR classes.