The newly-minted La Plata County Board of Health held a second meeting Thursday, the purpose of which was to continue orienting board members to their responsibilities and make several decisions that will enable the county to move forward with the establishment of a new health department.
The board is tasked with organizing La Plata County Public Health, which will become the governing public health agency for the county when San Juan Basin Public Health’s dissolution becomes effective Jan. 1. Until that date, the board will act in an organizational capacity.
Earlier this month, SJBPH coordinated with Archuleta and La Plata counties and requested that a judge appoint a third-party receiver to assist in the dissolution.
“The receiver will work with SJBPH’s board of health and leadership to ensure that the agency continues to meet Colorado’s public health standards through 2023,” SJBPH spokeswoman Megan Graham said in a news release. “At the same time, the receiver will work to preserve and distribute the agency’s assets following the SJBPH dissolution.”
Among the concrete decisions made Thursday, the board voted to authorize the county manager to contract with Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc., for the purposes of recruiting a public health director. Liane Jollon, director of SJBPH, has previously stated she would like to become the director of the new department. However, according to state law, the board cannot just transfer employees from SJBPH, but most go through standard recruitment procedures.
“This is probably your most important decision right now, to get yourself a director,” County Human Resources Director Monica Shadid told the board.
Members also approved bylaws that outline the board’s purpose, duties and procedural expectations, agreed to hire a consultant to provide any needed training and approved an operational agreement with the county so the board can use the county’s internal services.
The board now has the option to employ the Otowi Group, which submitted the only response to the county’s request for proposal, for training purposes with costs not to exceed $50,000. The county also has an existing contract with the consulting firm to assist in the dissolution process.
The action items on the agenda constitute early-stage decisions that move LPCPH in line with other county departments. Even throughout the course of Thursday’s three-hour meeting, members became increasingly comfortable with the basic procedural elements of their job, such as offering and voting on motions.
The board also spent the better part of an hour in a discussion facilitated by Sara Miller, founder of the Otowi Group. Members began to consider what their guiding principles might be and how they want to make decisions as a group.
“From my perspective, one of the opportunities of this new board is to play a role in promoting and communicating to the public about public health,” Board President Shere Byrd told the room.
The board members acted in notable harmony with one another, especially given that its very existence stems from the disharmony within its predecessor.
After the board moves forward with hiring a director, it will then work to determine which programs and services it hopes to offer, develop a budget for 2024 and begin to apply for grants. Public health departments are funded in a piecemeal manner and must apply for individual program grants.
The board’s next meeting will be held Wednesday.
Rschafir@durangoherald.com
