The Graham County Health Department will enter into an agreement with the Safford Community Health Center that will allow the county agency to continue immunizing underinsured children.

The Graham County Board of Supervisors approved the agreement Monday.

Health Department Director Neil Karnes told the Board of Supervisors on Monday that in previous years, the federal government paid for immunizations for uninsured children, and the state picked up the tab for immunizing underinsured children.

State funding for underinsured children was withdrawn to help the state resolve its budget crisis, Karnes said in response to an e-mail query from the Courier.

Additional federal funding is available, however, to health departments that are “deputized” by federally qualified health centers, such as Canyonlands, which operates the Safford Community Health Center. The supervisors’ vote to accept the agreement with the Safford Community Health Center will allow the County Health Department to continue immunizing underinsured children, Karnes said.

Karnes said while exact figures were not immediately available, about 40 percent of the children immunized at the County Health Department are considered underinsured.

“We are thankful that the Safford Community Health Center was willing to work with us on this issue, and it will ensure that there is no interruption of service for the underinsured population of children,” Karnes said.

In other County Health Department requests, the Board of Supervisors took the following actions:

• Approved the Per Capita Grant Applica-tion for the current fiscal year. If approved, the Health Department will receive $2,290 in support of local health services.

• Approved a Women, Infants, Children — or WIC — contract amendment for federal funding in the amount of $246,530 for serving a caseload of 1,275 clients per month. The WIC program provides a variety of services, including nutrition education and the issuance of food vouchers for the purchase of approved foods.

• Approved a family planning service for nearly $54,000 for 260 clients. The funding is used for counseling, physical examinations and pharmaceuticals, and is designed to prevent unintended pregnancies.

• Approved a contract for HIV education and prevention for $6,241. This funding provides for education, testing and counseling aimed at preventing the spread of HIV.