Kane County Health Department layoffs larger than expected
Delayed state payments will force an even bigger layoff of Kane County Health Department employees than first announced. The layoffs appear imminent as county officials rejected using the political clout of one of the state's largest unions to help prevent the loss of public health services to nearly 8,000 people.
Health department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert said Wednesday as many as 62 of his employees will lose their jobs if the county rejects nine state grants that require the county to provide certain services. The total is 12 more employees than the initial projection last week.
The state is more than $1.5 million behind in grant payments to the county. Without the actual money, the programs behind the grants can't survive, Kuehnert said. The county intends to forego the grants, killing seven programs it provides. The largest of the cuts will come in the county's family case management program, which serves about 6,000 women and children by providing doctor referrals and access to Medicaid. The county's administration of the federal WIC program will also end. The program (Women, Infants and Children) provides supplemental food for new mothers and children up to age 5.
Kuehnert said waiting for the state to fulfill its contractual obligation to pay up is no longer an option.
"People ask, 'Why don't we just see what happens (with the state),' " Kuehnert said. "I think we've already done that. We know the direction the state of Illinois is going."
Kuehnert referenced the recent release of about $500,000 the state owed the county as an example of his department's frustration. Kuehnert said it took calling two state representatives, two state senators, a union and a cabinet secretary to get the money. Now, those same lawmakers are saying there won't be any more money until an increase in the income tax is approved, said Gerald Jones, chairman of the county's Public Health Committee.
"What they're saying is, 'You sign this contract. You do the work for six months. Maybe we'll pay you,' " Jones said. "If we were to do that, and take that chance, we would put our health department in jeopardy of losing its ability to perform its core services. The priority has to be to have the health department survive."
Every county health department must provide a basic level of services to receive state certification. The county intends to retain those core services, including water supply protection and food service inspections, while shifting the people in family case management and the WIC program onto other local service providers. Kuehnert said the state will negotiate with the Visiting Nurses Association of Fox Valley and the Greater Elgin Family Care Center to take the county's cases. Kuehnert said once the county's version of those programs are gone, they aren't coming back.
"It's very difficult to negotiate with an entity to have them take over some services and then take them back," Kuehnert said.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees represents 33 of the health department employees facing a layoff. An AFSCME representative, Carla Williams, made a last-minute plea with the county board's Executive Committee Wednesday to delay the layoffs. Williams offered to use the full force of the union's political clout to free up the money the state owes the county. County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay called the offer "embarrassing" in rejecting it.
"All of the other local units of government are waiting for their money, but we're going to step up and use the political clout of our legislators or our union to get ours?" McConnaughay said of the offer. "I'm embarrassed to even consider that as a solution to our problem. I, for one, cannot say, 'Give us ours while everyone else waits.' "
The full county board must still approve the health department grant cuts. But the plan moved to the full board with the Executive Committee's blessing Wednesday.