Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has moved ahead with her plans to merge the Iowa Department of Public Health with the Iowa Department of Human Services, which already is the largest agency in state government. The new agency will be called The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Concerns have been raised about possible layoffs and budget cuts, which could lead to significant changes to local public health, due to this merger and with changes being made to the grant cycle.

Emily Tokheim, a member of the Washington County Board of Health, says that the plans for these grant changes have been in the works for around two years and were previously delayed due to COVID. She also does not anticipate any significant changes due to the merger.

The newly formed Iowa Department of Health and Human Services released a statement saying the goal of this merger is to strengthen coordination amongst existing services and provide more comprehensive services to all Iowans.