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Home My WebLink About962231.tiff 0-0 istom OFFICE OF BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PHONE: 970-356-4000, Ext.4200 I Fax: 970-352-0242 P.O. Box 758 C. GREELEY COLORADO 80632 COLORADO November 7, 1996 Faye Hummel, R.N., PhD. 275 South 3rd Avenue Brighton, CO 80601 Dear Dr. Hummel: The board has received your letter of October 16, 1996, concerning the Weld County Health Department. We met with John Pickle, Director of Public Health, to review your concerns regarding the Division of Community Health Services. We appreciate your perspective, but we are troubled by the fact that this was brought to our attention before any discussion with the director of the Health Department. The board and the director not only want to maintain but enhance the quality of care within the Health Department. In fact, quality of care was the driving issue in the decision to initiate the reorganization of this division last March. The degree of staff turnover then almost certainly had a negative impact on quality of care. The initial reorganization has solved the turnover problem to a large degree. We have also discussed your concerns about staffing with John Pickle and Don Warden, Director of Finance and Administration. The Director of Nursing position was abolished. Other than that, our personnel manning document shows the division is fully staffed. You may not be aware of our policy regarding programs funded through outside revenue. When revenue sources end, we do not take on the financial responsibility for the program. Over the past two years, there have been significant reductions in Medicaid reimbursement, primarily due to a shift to managed care. Federal funds for immunization programs have also been reduced. These funding shortfalls would have ordinarily resulted in reductions in force. However, the reorganization of the division has allowed us to minimize the impact of these reductions at the staff level. We can do this while maintaining a consistent quality of care and level of service to Weld County citizens. We also feel obliged to educate the community regarding funding issues. As resources continue to dwindle, the public sector will be forced to reevaluate its prioritization of the services provided. This evolution will continue into the foreseeable future. 962231 I I I v I g Y - Faye Hummel November 7, 1996 Page 2 The board agrees with you that leadership is certainly needed in this time of change in health care delivery. Again, this was a factor in our decision to initiate the reorganization of the division. We disagree, however, that leadership has been absent in the interim and that leadership for this division can only be provided through nursing. Experience with the Health Department over the last several years shows that clinical expertise does not substitute for administrative knowledge and training. The organizational structure of three nursing supervisors was specifically created to improve communication between client, staff, and management. We are confident John would have welcomed any suggestions you might have had to improve that system. We have approved John's final reorganization plan for this division. It becomes effective January 1997. This plan involves merging the Community Health and Health Promotion Divisions under the leadership of the Director of Preventive Health Services. He has assured us that this leadership position is open to nursing and any other qualified staff. We are satisfied that this final move will provide the degree of leadership necessary to move the department into the future of public health. In closing, we certainly agree with you that our nursing staff is competent and dedicated. We would go a step further and include the department as a whole. We would settle for no less in providing services to our citizens. We appreciate your comments. If you have further questions or concerns, please call the Director of the Health Department at 970-353-0586. Very truly yours, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS / i f-'//1u( Barbara J. Kirkmeyer, Chad George E. Baxter, Pro Tem Dale K. Hall it/ 7 2 'C ) / / Constance L. Harbert W. H. Webster BOCC:vds cc: John Pickle Hello