Kane Co. says health services transition to private sector working out

Kane County officials are rating the reorganization of the Public Health Department a success, but that rating may not include the outcome for the 62 county employees who lost their jobs.

The layoff and transition of family case management services to the private sector officially occurred Nov. 8. The county set up a call center to tackle any questions from people who previously received help through the health department. Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert said, as of Tuesday, the call center had received 306 calls. About 40 percent of the calls were people with questions about maternal child health services questions. Another good chunk of calls were people needing help with getting Medicaid services. But Kuehnert said at least half the calls were general health questions that had nothing to do with the service transition.

“We're not hearing that there are any outstanding issues,” Kuehnert said.

Former employees of the health department may disagree. Kuehnert said he's heard, anecdotally, that about 12 of the employees who were laid off found new jobs with the private organizations that took over the county's cases. But Carla Williams, the AFSCME union official who represented the employees who lost their jobs, said even 12 might be too high a number.

“I actually just got an e-mail today from a former employee hired by one of the private providers who was already let go,” Williams said. “The organization told the employee they don't have enough cases from the state to keep them on staff. So even the people who found jobs are learning there's no guarantee they'll get to stay there.”

Williams said the vast majority of former health department employees who weren't hired by the private providers are finding themselves in the unemployment line for Thanksgiving.

“They are out there strongly applying for work,” Williams said. “In the meantime, they'll get unemployment, but, as we all know, that's just not the same.”

Williams said she and the former employees have been disappointed in the health department's attitude toward those who've lost their jobs. She said the union pushed county officials to reopen bidding for the Fit for Kids childhood obesity program management contract to consider a qualified employee who was laid off, but officials refused. County board members recommended renewal of the contract with a registered dietitian to manage Fit for Kids at a Public Health Committee meeting Tuesday.

“Basically, the door has been shut behind the people who were laid off,” Williams said.