Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The Kosciusko County Clubhouse and Kosciusko Community YMCA are one step closer to getting Health First Kosciusko funds for projects.
At its meeting on Wednesday, the Health First Kosciusko Advisory Committee approved requests for funding from the two organizations. The monies are special ones the Kosciusko County Health Department is receiving from the state via its participation in Indiana's Health First initiative.
Both the funding requests will also have to be approved by the Kosciusko County Board of Health and Kosciusko County Commissioners.
The YMCA was granted initial approval of $12,005 to offer fitness classes for seniors in Mentone, Milford and Pierceton. Some of the funding would also cover Purdue Extension's A Matter of Balance program, which would be offered to the same groups and include fall prevention strategies.
The classes would be offered October through April, with the YMCA using the Health First money to get the program started.
"If it goes really well, the YMCA plans to adopt the program," said Health First Kosciusko Coordinator Elizabeth McCullough.
The committee also gave initial approval of $15,000 plus any available monies out of the Health First capital reserve for helping start up the Kosciusko County Clubhouse.
It provides a place for those dealing with mental health struggles to learn work skills, moving from “transitional” work to ultimately “independent supported” work, described Clubhouse Executive Director Chris Fancil at an earlier Health First meeting when he presented the funding proposal.
The clubhouse will also help with people’s education and health and provide opportunities for socialization, said Fancil at the time.
There was some discussion as to whether committee members could vote on the clubhouse funding as it wasn't officially placed on the agenda for Wednesday's meeting.
However, as several committee members pointed out, both the clubhouse and YMCA projects were already going through the approval process when commissioners created their new guidelines for approval and shouldn't have to start from the beginning of the new guidelines, which include getting conceptual approval from the commissioners, Kosciusko County Health Department Administrator Bob Weaver and Kosciusko County Health Officer Dr. Eric Waldo before any matters come before the committee.
Committee members also noted as the YMCA's proposal had made it on the agenda, the clubhouse's should as well.
Though it was noted Waldo had already given verbal approval for the clubhouse proposal, Weaver said he would have him look at it again just in case a more formal approval from him was needed, and if so, move the funding proposal on to the Board of Health.
After the meeting, Fancil said the clubhouse had officially started on July 7, open from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays at First United Methodist Church of Warsaw, 179 S. Indiana St.
Anyone 18 and older who is battling mental health issues is welcome to come.
"All we are really worried about is creating a supportive structure and caring environment and just helping each other through stuff," said Fancil.
The clubhouse is also working on securing funding from other sources.
In other business, the committee:
• Agreed to allot $10,000 more of 2025 funds for any project requests this year.
• Agreed to allot $271,290 for projects in 2026 plus leftover funds from 2024 and 2025.
The committee's next meeting is 6 p.m. Aug. 27 in the Kosciusko County Courthouse's Old Courtroom.
