Exclusive: Saline County Administrator Matt Stiles Discusses Future of Home Health Program

Saline County commissioners are expected to continue discussing the future of the county-operated Home Health program during their Aug. 11 meeting, including the possibility of winding down the service.

Saline County Administrator Matt Stiles told Salina311 that the county has been evaluating the program since a January planning meeting and throughout the 2027 budget process. Stiles began serving as county administrator in April.

Commissioners discussed the issue during a July 28 study session and are preparing to bring forward a formal request for action. Stiles said discontinuing the program is one of the options being considered, but no final decision has been made.

“One of the options in that is to wind the service down,” Stiles said.

Stiles said county officials want to give residents an opportunity to learn more about the program and speak directly with commissioners before additional action is taken.

“We’re welcoming the public in to have that conversation,” Stiles said. “We want to be intentional about hearing them out and having that opportunity for everybody to reflect on what that means.”

Stiles said some residents are only now learning that the program’s future is being discussed. He also said some of the information circulating about Home Health has been accurate, while some has not.

“We want to make sure that people are well informed and understand, and then have an opportunity to talk to the commission about their concerns,” Stiles said.

Discussion Involves Home Health, Not Entire Health Department

The discussion involves the Home Health program operated through the Saline County Health Department. It does not involve closing the Health Department as a whole.

Home Health provides medical and support services to patients in their homes. The program serves residents with a wide range of needs, including some who may have difficulty finding another provider willing or able to offer the same services.

On average, the county program serves between 40 and 60 clients.

County Projects $413,530 Investment in 2027

The county’s 2027 budget includes an estimated $478,169 in Home Health revenue. That money is expected to come from several sources, primarily fee-for-service payments from Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and patients who pay privately.

Projected Home Health expenses total $891,699.

The difference between projected expenses and revenue is $413,530, representing the amount of other county funding expected to be invested in the program.

The projected revenue would cover slightly more than half of the program’s expenses, with county funds covering the remaining amount.

Those figures are expected to be central to the commission’s discussion as members weigh the program’s financial cost against the effect discontinuing it could have on current clients.

Program Has Operated for More Than 60 Years

Stiles said Saline County has provided Home Health services for more than six decades.

“We’ve been doing it for over 60 years, and when we started, we were probably the only game in town,” Stiles said.

The local healthcare market has changed considerably since then, with private companies now providing various forms of in-home healthcare.

However, Stiles said private providers do not all offer the same services, accept the same forms of payment or serve the same types of patients.

“We have a pretty specific lane that we do,” Stiles said. “There are people that we serve that might have a hard time finding someone else to serve them.”

That concern is one of the primary issues commissioners must consider as they evaluate whether the county should continue operating the program.

Commissioners Weigh Cost Against Community Need

Stiles said the decision requires county leaders to balance the number of people served against the public funding needed to maintain the service.

“That’s really where the rub is with this,” Stiles said. “Trying to balance out the number of people with the dollars that we have to invest in that service and seeing if that makes sense to continue in it.”

Commissioners could ultimately choose to continue the program, modify how it operates or begin winding it down. Stiles said the county intends to provide residents with accurate information and an opportunity to express their concerns before a decision is reached.

Meeting Information

The Home Health discussion is scheduled for the regular Saline County Commission meeting:

Date: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026
Time: 9 a.m.
Location: Room 107, City-County Building, 300 W. Ash St., Salina

An 8:30 a.m. work-planning session is also scheduled before the regular meeting. The county’s adopted 2026 meeting calendar lists both sessions for Aug. 11.