DC Health FY2027 Budget Oversight Hearing - May 4, 2026
DC Health FY2027 Budget Oversight Hearing - May 4, 2026
At-large Councilmember Christina Henderson, Chair of the Committee on Health, convened a hearing on May 4, 2026, at 9:35 AM in Room 500 of the John A. Wilson Building to review the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for DC Health. The hearing was the second part of the oversight, following public witness testimony on April 28, 2026. The committee heard from over 60 public witnesses earlier. Dr. Ayana Bennett, Director of DC Health, testified along with her leadership team. The budget faces a $1.1 billion district shortfall, with DC Health relying on approximately 60% federal funding.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- The committee had already heard from over 60 public witnesses on April 28, 2026, who voiced support for critical public health programs (healthy food access, early childhood, rodent control) and expressed concerns about proposed cuts. Written testimony remained open until May 12, 2026.
Discussion Items
- School Health: Chair Henderson questioned a $600,000 reduction in school-based health center funding, which DC Health clarified was a transfer between accounts, not a cut. The agency discussed staffing vacancies (11% vacancy rate), the cluster model with RN oversight, and a proposed subtitle to allow LPNs and health techs alongside RNs. Henderson raised concerns about a child with epilepsy not receiving care due to missing trained staff.
- Food Access: The mayor's proposal to repeal the Food Policy Council and Office of Food Policy was discussed. DC Health noted collaboration but said the Office of Planning is not the right home. Farmers market support grants were reduced from $250,000 to an unspecified lower amount; the chair asked if restoration would be spent down. The grocery access pilot (Produce Plus) has a waitlist of 2,000 residents, and the FY27 budget eliminates new funding after FY26. The pilot with MedStar will study chronic disease outcomes.
- Maternal & Early Childhood Health: Multiple cuts were highlighted: $3 million total in maternal and early childhood reductions, including zeroing out $1.35M for Healthy Steps, cutting $182,000 from the Safe Care home visiting model, and eliminating a $103,000 lactation certification grant. The agency cited federal funding shifts and hard choices.
- Tobacco Permits: A proposed subtitle requiring a tobacco sales permit (estimated to generate $15,000) was debated. Chair Henderson questioned the burden on businesses compared to neighboring jurisdictions; DC Health promised data.
- HIV/AIDS & HASTA: The $5.2 million reduction to HIV surveillance was clarified as not actual due to continued federal funding. The bureau chief position for HIV prevention was swept, but the chair requested it be restored. The AIDS Drug Assistance Fund subtitle was discussed to align with federal requirements.
- Food Safety & Environmental Health: Cuts to a supervisory sanitarian position were discussed. The rodent control pilot in Adams Morgan (including fertility control) begins May 5, 2026, with DPW collaboration. The pilot also covers Eastern Market and Chinatown.
- Animal Care & Control: The contract with Brandywine was discussed; live release rate improved to 91%, euthanasia down from 420 to 230. Dog licensing compliance is low (2,800 active licenses). Proposed pet food registration fee ($50 per product) and changes to dog license fee allocation were debated.
- Health Professional Licensing: The transition to direct payment for criminal background checks was explained. Dental assistant registration fees ($240) are much higher than in Maryland ($20) and Virginia ($100); a comprehensive fee review is underway.
- Other: The chronic illness initiative cut of $168,000 will reduce cancer screenings. The high-needs healthcare career scholarship program has 120 enrolled students (80 EMT, 40 CNA) and will be completed with FY26 funding. The epidemiology capacity is reduced due to sunset of COVID-era federal funding, but contingency plans exist.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken during the hearing. Chair Henderson committed to following up on multiple items, including restoring the HIV prevention bureau chief position, clarifying dog licensing fees, and evaluating the tobacco permit subtitle by the next day (May 5) for the BSA conversation.
- DC Health agreed to provide additional data on: number of schools with two AOM-trained staff, specific numbers for farmers market applications, and details on the pet food registration implementation.
- The record will remain open until May 12, 2026, for additional written testimony.
- The next hearing on the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority budget is scheduled for May 6, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good morning. I'm at large council member Christina Henderson, Chair of the Committee on Health. Today is Monday, May 4th, 2026. The time is 9:35 a.m. We are in room 500 of the John A. Wilson building. This hearing is being broadcast live on Cable Channel 13. I'm calling this hearing of the Committee of Health for a part two of the oversight on the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget for DC Health to order. The committee has heard from over 60 public witnesses on Tuesday, April 28th, and the recording of that hearing is available on the council's website as well as on my YouTube page. Witnesses voiced their support for many DC Health critical public health programs, including healthy food access, early childhood and rodent control programs, and expressed concerns about proposed cuts to programs across the agency. I will reference the public testimony as well as the agency's budget chapter and written responses in the committee's prehearing questions in today's hearing. You can find all of those materials also on the council website. This morning we'll hear from the director of DC Health, Dr. Ayana Bennett, as well as her team. DC Health provides uh programs and services with the ultimate goal of reducing the burden of disease and improving opportunities for health and well-being for all district residents and visitors. DC Health does this through a number of mechanisms that center around prevention, promotion of health, expanding access to health care, and increasing health equity. With over 900 FTEs, DC Health is organized into six administrations. Dr. Bennett, before you begin with your testimony, I need to swear you and your team in. So if everyone can raise their right hand. Everyone who might speak. There you go. All right. Do you swear or affirm under penalty of law that the testimony you're about to provide to the council of the District of Columbia and this committee is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Great. All right, Dr. Bennett, when you're ready. You do have to turn your mic on. So long and yet still still new, still fresh. Um, good morning, Chairperson Henderson. Um, staff of the committee on health, all of you. I want to first introduce, I'm with my CEO, COO this morning, um, Michelle Blake Smith and our AFO Adrena Dean, who are gonna help me with some of your questions this morning. Um, I am here, of course, on behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser. I'm going to read my not very long testimony. Um, I'm pleased to be here before you today to talk about our proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. Going into FY27, the district was facing a 1.1 billion dollar shortfall caused by both the anticipated $700 million reduction in revenue and a $450 million increase in cost. In spite of this challenging budget environment, I'd like to thank Muriel Mayor Bowser for her continued investment in social determinants of health, including education, public safety, housing, and economic development through her Grow DC FY 2027 proposed budget. Notably, these investments include $350 million modernization of the district's first responder fleet, a $9 million benefit increase for basic health plan and alliance recipients, and an additional $2.4 million in funding to strengthen the district's workforce through the advanced technical centers. DC Health has continued to receive significant investment across all five of our administrations. This includes the community health administration, who successfully transitioned the school health program in-house. The proposed FY27 investment of $25 million will permit DC Health to continue its efforts to improve the quality of school health services. Additionally, DC Health has begun directly operating these um five school-based health centers and looks forward to the remaining um to becoming operational in FY27. Our HIV AIDS hepatitis SDD and TB administration continues to achieve positive outcomes with HIV transmission rates remaining below 200 for the second straight year. The DC Health and Wellness Clinic has played an important role in achieving this success through their prevention testing and treatment services across sexually transmitted and other diseases. There is 7.9 million, a mixture of federal grants and payments and local dollars budgeted for prevention and intervention services in FY27 that will support our ability to administer PrEP and PEP, initiate patients on rapid HIV and retroviral therapy, and provide assistance with benefit navigation. I'd like to thank the council for your focus on this area and your investment in expanding the ability availability of this important health care access point to the community. Our environmental health administration continues to work diligently to keep our communities safe, including through our division of food. This team, which is made up of 17 inspector of sanitarians and food technologists, conducts over 7,000 inspections in fiscal year 25, covering restaurants, school cafeterias, grocery stores, and more. The proposed 2.2 million investment in food safety in FY27 allows us to continue this work to protect district residents. Given these larger budgetary constraints, DC Health is making strategic adjustments to ensure we'll continue to achieve these results for all district residents.
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