The Fishers Health Department’s 2025 annual report shows a local public health agency expanding services, reaching more residents and preparing for future challenges, even as it dealt with a major reduction in public health funding.

Public Health Director and Health Officer Monica Heltz described 2025 as a year of “both progress and challenge,” noting the department continued to advance programs supported through Health First Indiana while navigating a significant cut in state and federal public health funding.

The report says Fishers responded to a 73 percent funding reduction with a financial strategy that allowed the department to maintain staffing, sustain core services and continue expanding programs used by residents.

The Fishers Health Department was established in April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, after action by the Fishers City Council. It remains one of only three municipal health departments in Indiana.

Among the department’s 2025 numbers:

The department distributed 7,508 birth and death records, completed 1,888 environmental health permits, inspections and testing services, and provided 3,629 clinical services, including immunizations, testing, health services and wellness screenings.

Fishers Health Department also reported 25,030 people reached through 619 health education sessions. Its mental health and social support programs provided 3,893 services to 1,243 residents, while StigmaFree Fishers reached 11,296 users through online resources.

The department also monitored or treated 333 communicable disease cases. The top five reportable conditions in Fishers during 2025 were COVID-19, chlamydia, latent tuberculosis, gonorrhea and animal bites.

Clinical services were a major focus of the year. Fishers Health Department expanded services to include pregnancy testing, sexually transmitted infection testing, titer testing and a dedicated travel clinic offering consultations, recommended vaccines and preventive medications. The travel clinic logged 141 appointments in its first year.

The clinic served 3,567 patients through testing and vaccinations, with 2,713 patients receiving 2,854 vaccines. The department also reported 290 directly observed therapy medication appointments for treatment of tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection.

One of the department’s featured programs is fall prevention. Working with the Fishers Fire Department and using emergency medical services data, the department increased in-home assessments and education intended to help older adults remain safely in their homes.

The report says the fall prevention program completed 88 in-home assessments in 2025 and has served 157 residents through in-home assessments since the program began in 2024. The department estimates the program has generated about $1.6 million in direct and indirect savings since launch, or about $30 in savings for every dollar invested.

Environmental health work also remained a key responsibility. The department issued 645 food permits, completed 851 inspections and responded to 26 food facility complaints. The report says the percentage of retail food establishments receiving “A” inspection grades increased from 87.8 percent in 2023 to 96.8 percent in 2025.

Fishers Health Department also monitored open water, pools, septic systems and wells. Six open water sites received temporary advisory notices in 2025 following unsatisfactory laboratory results. The department also reported that no Fishers mosquito pools tested positive for West Nile virus in 2025, although activity was detected elsewhere in Hamilton County.

The department emphasized community input in 2025. More than 1,500 residents participated in surveys and focus groups as part of the Community Health Assessment process, helping shape the Community Health Improvement Plan and future strategic direction.

Looking ahead to 2026, Fishers Health Department plans to use that community input and local data to guide its first multi-year strategic plan. The report identifies three major community health pillars: mental health across the lifespan, healthy living and aging well. Two additional priorities are sustainability and community input, along with excellence in core public health services.

The annual report also notes the department’s financial position. Fishers Health Department entered 2025 with approximately $4.2 million in revenue, supported by Health First Indiana, property taxes, grants, clinical services and licensing fees. The department closed the year with an operating surplus of more than $400,000 and about $500,000 remaining in Health First Indiana funds.

The report says Fishers continues to operate with one of the lowest health fund property tax rates in Indiana.

(Corrected an earlier version of this story that identified Monica Heltz as “Dr.” –  Ms. Heltz is not a physician, but is a nurse)