Layoffs coming to Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department amid budget reduction
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- TPCHD notified 22 employees on Oct. 23 that their positions won’t be in 2026 budget.
- Twelve of the cuts target administrative services; remaining spread across programs.
- TPCHD says it doesn’t expect the public to see any immediate impacts on services.
Anticipated cuts in federal and state funding have led to planned staff reductions at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
TPCHD media representative Kenny Via told The News Tribune in response to questions on Nov. 20 that 22 staff members were notified Oct. 23 that their positions “are not in the 2026 budget.”
The affected workers’ last day is slated for Dec. 19. Of the 22 positions, 12 are in administrative services providing support to program staff. The remaining cuts are throughout TPCHD.
“We prioritized keeping positions that work to bring services directly to Pierce County residents,” Via wrote. “Because of this, we don’t expect the public to see any immediate impacts on the services we provide.”
The health department had more than 350 full-time equivalent positions as of 2024 and has seen department funding decline since a peak in 2021 during the pandemic.
According to TPCHD’s website, nearly 11 percent of its budget came from federal funding and nearly 30 percent from the state in its 2024-25 budget cycle, with the rest from Pierce County, the city of Tacoma, permits and fees and private, local and miscellaneous sources.
The health department’s budget made news earlier this year amid initial federal funding cuts hitting various programs.
Budget projections this summer listed a nearly $25 million decrease from the department’s current biennium budget. Via told The News Tribune, “That decrease comes from a combination of changes to federal and state funding, including decreases to Foundational Public Health Services, grant funding and the total loss of COVID-specific funding.”
“When our Board of Health approved our projected 2026-2027 budget in July it included a reduction of more than 40 FTE because of projected cuts in federal and state funding,” Via stated via email. “We’ve been working hard to reduce that number by securing new funding and holding off on filling open positions. We also put in place a voluntary retirement incentive.”
He also stated that if additional funding was received before Dec. 19, “we may be able to make some changes to staff reductions.”
“We continue to pursue funding for resources that align with our strategic priorities from a variety of sources including local, state and federal partners,” he wrote.
The health department’s staff reductions were first reported Thursday by KNKX Public Radio.
This story was originally published November 21, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
