Kane County Health Department projects layoffs for end of July

Kane County Health Department officials warned Tuesday children won't be immunized and sexually transmitted diseases will go undiagnosed if the state doesn't restore grants that will soon dry up.

The department recently received notice many of the state grants it receives will be cut or eliminated in the most recent state budget scenarios. Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert said lack of grant funding will mean notices of potential layoffs will go out July 1 and be effective July 31.

State grants fund about 44 percent of the department's $10 million budget. The grants pay some or all of the salaries for 86 percent of the department's staff. With the grant cuts, the department will face a $1.2 million budget hole for the remainder of the budget year.

"We're really looking at the entire fabric of the health and social system in Kane County being torn apart," Kuehnert said.

With a layoff of up to 15 percent of the health department staff, Kuehnert said the impact of one potential scenario entails:

• More than 7,500 children will go without hearing and vision screenings.

• 2,277 children will not be fully immunized.

• Case managers for family medical care coordination will have to triple their caseloads.

• 853 residents with sexually transmitted infections will not be diagnosed nor treated and will likely spread their infections to others.

Many of the people effected will turn to hospital emergency rooms for care since community health care agencies will experience similar funding cuts. Evidence of that potential was shown in a rally at the Elgin Child & Family Resource Center Tuesday to raise awareness of the impact of the state budget crisis.

Beth Lakier, senior vice president of Kids Hope United, which runs the resource center, said about 100 parents will lose funding to have child care at that facility. Such a loss might also cause the center to close and, as a result, some parents might have to quit their jobs. Lakier's organization also runs child care and foster child placement programs in Arlington Heights, Libertyville and St. Charles, which would also see similar losses.

"With the cuts to foster care funding we are looking at a 50-to-1 ratio for DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) cases, versus the 10-to-1 oversight ratio now," Lakier said. "At that ratio, basically you are saying there is no way we are going to be able to oversee these DCFS cases."

In response to those potential realities, the county board's Public Health Committee approved a symbolic resolution calling on state lawmakers to rethink the cuts.

"If we fall through there is no other safety net," said Jerry Jones, chairman of the public health committee. "It is regretful that the politicians in Springfield choose to use the least of their constituents to play their political football. I hope people come to their senses."