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Health department is losing key staff

After 18 years at San Juan Basin Health Department, I recently resigned as southwest regional epidemiologist and immunization program manager. Since September, the following positions at SJBHD have been vacated: health services director, nurse family partnership manager, WIC educator, regional epidemiologist, single entry point supervisor, SJBHD office manager, SEP nurse, two SEP case managers and clinic manager.

As veteran employees depart, public health is losing decades of experience, expertise, specialized training and key relationships with partners in the community and the public.

This mass exodus is not a coincidence.

Trust between administration and staff has been shattered because of secretive administrative agendas, lack of honest communication and a complete intolerance of any respectful exchanges of perspective. There is a disturbing atmosphere of fear and suspicion – this is supported by a private attorney paid to sit through all Board of Health meetings to not only advise the board, but also guide the executive director and human resources.

This could be seen as a violation of the basic separation between the board and the daily operations of the agency. Why does a small agency feel a need for this pervasive legal presence? Who actually runs this agency? This is not a standard for public health agencies in Colorado, and it is a significant financial drain on an agency with a limited budget.

Please ask your county commissioners to become more actively involved because the Board of Health only hears from the SJBHD director, who presents a far rosier perspective than many of us have personally experienced. Due to constant staff turnover and lack of administrative support, the capacity of SJBHD to respond to infectious diseases and other public health emergencies has fallen to historically low levels, well below that of most other public health agencies in Colorado.

We deserve to know why our tax dollars are spent on inordinate legal and administrative costs while staff doing the real work of public health are increasingly burdened with internal administrative demands at the same time services to the public are reduced or eliminated. The people of La Plata and Archuleta counties deserve better!

Joe Fowler

Delta



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