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Facing cuts, Clark County health department seeks to educate public

By Stephanie Rice
Published: November 25, 2010, 12:00am

Clark County Public Health keeps the behind-the-scenes work of community health behind the scenes.

Currently facing a funding crisis due to across-the-board state cuts, Director John Wiesman was asked this week by county commissioners to help the public understand what the department does in order to justify its budget request.

Wiesman’s department faces a $750,000 shortfall in the proposed 2011-12 budget.

Wiesman said he knows that a downside of keeping quiet about disease outbreaks (only contacting people who may be affected instead of issuing news releases) has been that the public doesn’t know what type of work goes on to control outbreaks, one of the department’s many responsibilities.

Wiesman said he’ll make a “day in the life of public health” presentation in early December.

Commissioners will hold four days of public hearings on the 2011-12 budget. The hearings are scheduled to start Dec. 6.

Wiesman headed into the budget process nearly $4 million short. He has cut $2 million from his budget by eliminating or reducing outreach services and cutting staff positions.

When he met with county commissioners last month, they seemed supportive of filling his request.

But while the county’s proposed $890 million two-year budget includes an addition of nearly $1 million for public health, Wiesman remains $754,000 short.

Wiesman said Wednesday his presentation will include how he has downsized the department by shifting work to non-profit agencies and how he’s seeking ways to be more efficient such as by letting people take a food handler test online.

To help backfill what the state has cut, commissioners could raise fees or increase the property tax levy by 1 percent.

In an Aug. 25 letter to county commissioners (who also serve as the Board of Health), Renate Atkins, chair of the Public Health Advisory Council, wrote that cuts to the communicable disease unit puts the community at risk.

“The department’s ability to respond has already been eroded by staffing cuts that forced the elimination of follow-up on many sexually transmitted diseases, chronic hepatitis B and C cases and significantly reduced their response to outbreaks affecting vulnerable populations in child care centers, schools and long-term care facilities,” Atkins wrote.

In April, a 4-year-old boy died after contracting E.coli at his day care center. The boy, Ronan Wilson, wasn’t initially tested for E.coli because a doctor thought he only had the flu, and the health department was criticized for not issuing a provider alert. The department didn’t issue an alert because officials contacted all the parents whose children attended the center, which has since been closed by the state.

At Tuesday’s Board of Health meeting, Commissioner Steve Stuart said it would help him if he heard from other people who benefit from public health.

“We need to do a better job at explaining what we do for our citizens,” Stuart said. “My request is that we don’t just hear from staff.”

Dawn Doutrich, who represents nurses on the Public Health Advisory Council, told commissioners “the fat is gone,” from the department’s budget.

“There is nothing left to cut,” she said.

“We’re just really afraid for the county,” Doutrich said.

Commissioner Marc Boldt thanked Doutrich.

“I’m glad you are passionate. That’s your job,” Boldt said.

Boldt acknowledged State Rep. Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver, who was at the meeting, and said he has a better appreciation for Clark County’s health department after seeing other departments in the state.

“We do a pretty good job here,” Boldt said. “As Rep. Moeller knows, with social services, you have to claw, scratch, scream and holler to get something.”

Moeller told commissioners that more cuts, unfortunately, will be made.

“I look at public health as part of core services,” Moeller said. “This is why we created government, for health and safety.”

Moeller said he wants to work with commissioners to try and come up with solutions, such as new fees tied to health services.

Commissioner Tom Mielke expressed doubt that the county could make up for the state cuts.

“We are faced with so many unfunded mandates,” Mielke said. “The bottom drops out.”

Public hearings on the budget will be at 2 p.m. Dec. 6; 10 a.m. Dec. 7; 10 a.m. Dec. 8; 9 a.m. Dec. 9; and 9 a.m. Dec. 10.

Each session is scheduled to last for two hours and will be in the sixth-floor hearing room at the Public Service Center, 1300 Franklin St.

Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4508 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.

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