Union: Kane Co. Health Dept. lying about pending layoffs

The Kane County Health Department wildly exaggerated its financial woes stemming from late state payments to justify a downsizing, according to the union representing 62 employees in the department facing a layoff. But the leader of the department fired back Thursday that nothing the union points to actually guarantees any state money for the county.

AFSCME union officials released a financial statement from the department showing half of the $1.5 million the state owes the health department relates to bills due in just the past 30 days. The other half is more than 30 days past due, but only half of that, about $418,000, is money for the programs on the department's chopping block. The most controversial element of the downsizing is a shift of family case management, which provides access to Medicaid for 6,000 people, to private agencies.

"The revelations show there is no justification for dumping vital programs-including prenatal care, nutrition assistance, and medical, dental and vision care-for thousands of at-risk mothers, pregnant women, infants and children," AFSCME staff representative Carla Williams said in a written statement.

AFSCME bolstered that statement by including a letter from the Illinois Department of Human Services that says the health department received $500,000 on June 30 when it asked for an emergency release of back payments. But the letter further states that the health department has not asked for any further emergency payments since then that could free up the rest of the money the state owes the county.

Paul Kuehnert, executive director of the county's health department, said he's been under the impression that his department qualifies for expedited payments from the state just by the very nature of what the department does. However, Kuehnert said the pending downsizing of the health department isn't just about money already owed to the county; it's about the state's dwindling ability to pay any of its bills in a time frame that is safe to conduct business.

"This is no way to run a vitally important local government service," Kuehnert said. "The state is saying, 'Come on, Kane County, fill out the paperwork every quarter, and we'll do our best to pay you. It just becomes a circle of crisis-driven logic. It becomes an absurd notion that we can plan and deliver public health services based on that way of doing business."

Kuehnert noted even in the Human Services letter to AFSCME, the state agency points out its plan for paying bills is still to pay them six months late at best.