Grant County delays decision on health district

EPHRATA — Grant County commissioners delayed making a decision on the fate of Grant County Health District until they could receive more public input.

The commissioners heard from members of the public on Monday about the possibility of changing the health district to a county department. The district is controlled by a board consisting of the county commissioners and representatives from the cities in the county.

Discussion of the change occurred after the district changed the form they use to approve wells on new property, Commissioner Richard Stevens said. The district used to guarantee the fact there was water and now it only guarantees the quality of water.

This delayed development because Grant County code requires the district to approve the amount of water, he said.

Commissioner LeRoy Allison said another reason why they’re discussing moving to a department is because city and county budgets are tight this year.

“My concern here is we have over the last few years seen an increase in the demand for dollars at the health district,” he said. “What I’ll be looking to talk to (Public Health Officer Alex Brzezny) before we make any determination is to look at any kind of duplication because we’re having to tighten our belts.”

Health district administrator Peggy Grigg said she didn’t think it was in the district’s purview to comment on the amount of water in a new development.

Both Grigg and Brzezny said the commissioners need to take time to study the change before they make any decision. Grigg said the change to a department would be unlikely to save any money, because departments are required to hire a full-time physician

“(The health district) currently employs a part-time physician at about one-fifth of that cost,” she said. “One county recently changed from a district to a county department for the purpose of a cost savings, which the local public health agency actually lost money.”

She said the health district also can react to legal issues easier because it can hire it’s own attorney to handle issues rather than relying on the prosecutors office.

“I believe, how this could be altered in a department status, should be carefully studied,” she said.

Grigg said counties are political structures led by politicians and public health shouldn’t be a political issue, she said. With the department structure, some health care initiatives may be banned for political reasons.

Changing to a department won’t necessarily reduce the county’s legal risks through more consistent or universally applied rules, she added.

“Anticipated improvements through efficiency for management and administration would also be important to demonstrate,” Grigg said. “Information has been shared by our colleagues across the state that it is the case that districts are easier to manage and administer with efficiency.”

She said there are times when counties do not understand the human resource needs of a public health department. The staff may need to work on evenings and weekends and may have to travel to address the needs of the county.

The district also protects the commissioners from the stigma of public health violations, because the board is made up of more than just the commissioners.

“I think it’s very important that the change of status from a district to a department should be studied thoroughly before any changes are implemented,” she said. “A reasonable time to study the issue would be at least six to eight months.”

Jack Patrick, an Ephrata resident, said he wasn’t in favor of converting the district to the department, but he did want oversight from the commissioners. He said he’s been trying to find an answer to how much water he can draw out of a well for the last two months.

“I’ve been referred to planning to the health (district), the health (district) to (the department of) ecology, from ecology back to the health (district),” he said. “I can’t find any straight answers … There’s just been no answers.”

Commissioner Cindy Carter said the district does a good job, but she has heard complaints like Patrick’s from other people.

“It’s not so much of a health side of it,” she said. “It’s more of the land development.”

The commissioners will discuss the issue again at 10 a.m. on Dec. 22.