NACCHO’s Podcast from Washington: Update on Department of Health and Human Services Recent Reorganization and How Dallas County Health and Human Services is Responding to the HIV Epidemic in Texas

Washington, DC, April 25, 2025 — On this month’s podcast episode, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) speakers discuss the recent reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including significant layoffs of staff working on public health programs, as well as the recently leaked funding “passback” document and what this means for public health. They also share an update on a lawsuit filed by some states against HHS on the clawback of billions of dollars of COVID-era supplemental funding. For more frequent updates, subscribe to NACCHO’s News from Washington weekly newsletter: www.naccho.org/advocacy/news.

 

Later in the program (7:15), Philip “Phil” Huang, MD, MPH, Director and Health Authority at Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS), and Miranda Grant, a DCHHS Program Manager for the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, join NACCHO to discuss DCHHS’ efforts to prevent, detect, treat, and respond to HIV in Dallas County and the critical role local public health plays in improving health outcomes. 

 

During the episode, they share the current state of the epidemic in Dallas County, the disproportionate impact on Black and Hispanic communities, the importance of community partnerships in reaching more diverse populations, the promising outlook for a reduction in new cases by 2030, and how fostering community engagement and data-driven planning will help address the epidemic. They highlight their trauma-informed learning collaborative, a county-wide initiative to help reduce workforce burnout and address stigma surrounding HIV. Dallas County has also seen a significant increase in PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) usage with up to 8,000 residents on PrEP in 2023 versus 300 people in 2014. However, without sustainable investments in HIV prevention, Dallas County faces a growing crisis in its communities and an economic strain – each HIV case prevented saves an estimated $420,000 in lifetime costs. Sign up for NACCHO’s HIV, STI, Viral Hepatitis, and Harm Reduction Digest.