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.

The demands on the public health system are increasing, not decreasing.

For example, in FY26, DC Health has engaged in an increasing number of investigations of potential outbreaks following a resurgence in measles cases nationally.

The Center for Policy Planning and Evaluation supported hundreds of contract trace cases to limit any potential disease spread.

One just recently.

When there was an increase in cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, our team coordinated with pediatric health care providers and parents to drive down the number of serious cases.

Similarly, as cases of tuberculosis emerge among the district's most vulnerable populations, including those experiencing homelessness.

DC Health is equipped to monitor and ensure people receive the needed treatment.

In FY27's proposed budget, invest 11.4 million from federal grant funding into our epidemiologic capacity, something that is critical when responding to emergencies like the Potomac Interceptor Collapse.

DC Health supported the response efforts by carefully monitoring hospital discharge data for any signals of health impacts, including gastrointestinal disease.

These efforts closely aligned with DC Health's public health emergency preparedness work, which is proposed funding at $6.6 billion million dollars for FY27 within our health systems and preparedness administration.