County gives COVID stimulus funds to health department
HARTINGTON — Some of Cedar County’s COVID relief funds will be going to support the area’s public health department.
The Cedar County Board of Commissioners agreed to give $38,000 from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department (NNPHD), which serves Cedar, Wayne, Dixon, and Thurston counties.
NNPHD’s Director Julie Rother requested monetary assistance as a cushion to make payroll and pay bills, as much of the department’s work is through contracts or grants, which are reimbursed or billed quarterly or monthly.
“We bill after the fact of spending our money. The way our billing works has put a stress and strain on our budget,” Rother said. “I sent an email to the (NNPHD) board shortly after our last board meeting a few weeks ago. We were getting very close to having to dip into our savings account in order to make payroll and do the bills. We didn’t have to because, thankfully, the next day, we had a payment come in. It’s just that whole process of waiting on payments.”
At the commissioners meeting last week, she presented data indicating that about $33 is spent by the health department per capita, compared with $41 per capita spent by health departments of similar size nationally. The public health department population is more than 30,000 in the four counties, she said.
NNPHD also employs fewer staff per capita than similar-sized health departments throughout the nation.
“I feel like we are very frugal and yet we are very efficient and effective,” Rother said.
Funding for the department relies on money allocated from the state’s general fund and tobacco settlement.
Rother also provided an extensive list of all of the health department’s programs, which were mostly put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding through the CARES Act, specifically to fund COVID-19 pandemic response, ran out a year ago in June 2021, although work continues on immunizations and contact tracing. Personal Protective Equipment management, distribution and inventory; test management and distribution; disease surveillance and data management; and public education are ongoing COVID activities that are funded through the health department’s general funds, which has led to a shortfall of about $145,000, Rother said.
The request of $38,000 came from dividing the shortfall by the percentage of Cedar County residents to come up with the county’s share.
The health department does anticipate receiving about $500,000 of its own state ARPA funding but plans to earmark those dollars for “much needed” infrastructure improvements to either update current facilities or look elsewhere for additional space. “We’re looking at all the options,” Roth
“We’re looking at all the options,” Rother said. “We were growing even before the pandemic and then after the pandemic hit we blossomed that way. We’ve grown a lot since we started in 2002.”
Rother said she talked to Thurston County’s board last week but members there have yet to make a decision on her funding request. She plans to make similar requests in Wayne and Dixon counties in the coming weeks.
Board Chairman Craig Bartels said he hoped the board’s decision to financially support the health department would prompt the other county boards to act as well.
“The rest of the counties need to step up and pull their weight,” he said.
At its meeting last week, the board also authorized Emergency Manager Kevin Garvin to make purchases necessary to proceed with the replacement of the county’s EMS tower which was damaged in a a recent storm. The board also approved an agreement with Hartelco to lease the company’s existing tower for emergency use until a replacement tower can be built.
At its last meeting, the commissioners also:
- Heard concerns from Leah Noecker of Hartington about an 800-foot road issue for Ponderosa Acres subdivision. She asked the county board to send a letter to the Natural Resource Conservation Service along with the board’s resolution against President Joe Biden’s 30x30 initiative. The 30x30 initiative set a goal to conserve 30 percent of the nation’s land and waters by 2030. Opponents to 30x30 argue that the initiative is a “land grab” and federal overreach. The board said they would send a letter if the action was approved by the county attorney.
- Heard information about a new, voluntary dental plan by Shannon Jepsen, Aflac representative. Board members agreed to allow Jepsen to visit each district prior to the work shift to talk with employees about different plans available.
- Approved building permits presented by Zoning Administrator Tim Gobel: for Zach Thompson, 60-by-80-foot pole shed; Andy and Karen Leise, a 2,600 square foot house; John Brodersen, 18-by-12 foot addition and 30-by-40-foot garage; and Loraine Pinkelman, 48-foot diameter bin. Gobel also reported that the next public hearing to discuss zoning regulations related to wind towers is set at 7 p.m., Monday, June 13.
