Arkansas Department of Health will lay off 30 staff, close minority health-focused office

The Arkansas Department of Health will lay off 30 employees by Nov. 1, including all six members of the Office of Health Disparities Elimination, the agency confirmed Thursday.

“This decision was made after careful evaluation of budget considerations and operational needs, and to streamline processes and reduce redundancy to improve efficiency,” ADH spokeswoman Meg Mirivel said in an email.

The remaining 24 laid-off employees are in the following departments:

• 13 in the Hometown Health Support Services program;
• Eight in public health emergency preparedness;
• Three in the Office of Performance Management, Quality Improvement and Evaluation.

ADH “is restructuring and streamlining” the Office of Performance Management, Quality Improvement and Evaluation into a new Office of Evaluation Services “to better align resources with agency priorities,” Mirivel said.

Even though the Health Department is shuttering the Office of Health Disparities Elimination, the agency “remains committed to addressing populations that bear a disproportionate burden of disease and adverse health outcomes through its ongoing programs and through the continued work of the Arkansas Minority Health Commission,” Mirivel said.

Laid-off employees were informed of the decision Aug. 5 and will receive special consideration if they apply for other state government jobs for up to 12 months after Nov. 1.

Mirivel did not respond when asked if the restructuring and layoffs are related to the state employee pay plan overhaul that went into effect July 1.

Sanders announced the plan in November 2024, saying more than 14,000 state employees would receive pay raises that would make their salaries competitive with the private sector and improve recruitment and retention in hard-to-fill positions.

The nearly $140 million plan expects state agencies to find the money within their own budgets to cover as much of the overhaul as possible, but the state has a $72 million “performance fund” that agencies can use to fulfill the plan if they exhaust their existing resources.