Kane Co. Health dept. employees, programs get 30-day reprieve

Hugs abounded and tears flowed for an audience of young mothers and health care providers who begged the Kane County Board for a reprieve from health department layoffs and program cuts Tuesday.

Low-income moms and their babies will continue to receive health services through the county for at least 30 more days. County board members created a delay in planned layoffs to allow state lawmakers and union officials to find $1.5 million in overdue state payments for services the health department has already provided. The county board voted 13 to 10, with three members absent, to table a plan that would've gutted the health department by laying off about half of its staff. AFSCME union officials took the vote as a victory, but Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert said employees may receive the layoff notice anyway. The layoff notices advise employees of a possible layoff, not a definitive job loss. With that in mind, Kuehnert will talk to the county's labor attorney for advice on the proper timing of the notices to move ahead with the layoffs as envisioned immediately after the 30-day delay. That assumes state lawmakers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees can't find the emergency funds during a time when the Illinois General Assembly is on summer vacation. The county board still must approve any layoffs before they occur.

County board members granted the reprieve after an impassioned plea from several beneficiaries of eight programs headed for the chopping block if the layoffs occur.

Dr. Jennifer Schening is a pediatrician who works with many of the county's foster children. She spoke of bureaucratic red tape involved with securing the medical histories of foster children that can only be navigated through the county's Health Works program. Schening said she can't provide the medical care to the children without those records.

"These foster kids come into the system neglected and abused," Schening said. "If the Health Works department is dismantled, they are going to be neglected and abused by Kane County. You have no idea how much these and other cuts are going to hurt and damage the citizens of Kane County. Kids aren't going to fall through the cracks; we are going to throw them into it."

That and several tales of misdiagnosis or refusal of care from private health care outlets carried enough sway with county board members favoring the 30-day delay. County board member Bonnie Kunkel spoke for the majority in saying she's not willing to give up on helping the more than 8,000 county residents benefiting from the health department's programs.

"Yes, there's a problem in Springfield, but there's a problem all over," Kunkel said. "Real leaders don't say somebody else created the problem, and we're not willing to deal with it. We have to be part of the solution."

Kunkel said she didn't see anything wrong with floating another line of credit to the health department like it did last year when the state was also late with its payments. She also pointed out that the health department never actually used the $500,000 line of credit despite much concern over not making ends meet.

Public Health Committee Chairman Gerald Jones sided with the 10 county board members who wanted to implement the layoffs immediately. He said state lawmakers will carry the blame for any children who fall through the cracks.

"We cannot afford to sign a contract with the state of Illinois with absolutely no promise of payment," Jones said. "If we do that, six months from now there will be no health department."

After the meeting, Kuehnert said both the 30-day delay and a line of credit mean nothing if the state is a deadbeat.

"If you're not going to get paid, it all just digs the hole deeper," he said.