While the nation reels under the odd behaviors and mandates of current Health and Human Services Director RFK Jr., and uncertainty reigns in relation to Medicaid funding cancellations, the local Public Health Agency (PHA) has maintained almost full services for the county.
Director Sara Bertelsen, BSN, RN, CLC reports that the office has received cuts in funding, particularly a 25% decrease in the county’s Emergency Response Program, one of the several areas served by Bertelsen and the PHA staff. The unaffected programs include pediatric and adult health, vaccinations, environmental issues (for example, air quality, lead and asbestos control), and national and international travel planning. Under those broad umbrellas, matters from hearing and vision screenings at Custer County Schools to birthing classes and basic infant assessment are tended to at the PHA.
There has been a reduction of staff, and Bertelsen notes, “Thankfully… our remaining staff has been able to take on additional job duties, [and]we are still able to provide all of our services.” Growth and expansion of services are on hold until PHA can secure alternative funding sources. “As the Director,” Bertelsen says, “I am always on the lookout for funding opportunities and stay in contact with other PHA directors to strategize potential grant opportunities.”
Statewide, the quiet, professional, efficient PHA services Custer County residents enjoy is not always the case. Some rural areas are particularly stressed, and there seems to be no place to go for relief. US Representative Brittany Pettersen, whose constituency includes Custer County, points out in her recent newsletter that Medicaid defunding is already being felt in the Planned Parenthood clinic in our congressional district, reminding her readers that the barrier to services prevents counsel on sexually transmitted infections, cancer screenings, and birth control. She refers to the overtaxed staff who maintain healthcare services despite staff and funding cuts as “true heroes,” and vows to “keep doing everything I can at the federal level to make sure they can keep their doors open and continue to serve our community.” The national ban on Medicaid-supported services at Planned Parenthood was temporarily lifted by a federal court judge last week.
The Custer County PHA is located in Silver Cliff at 10 Hermit Lane, Suite 5; staff are available during office hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 719-783-3369. The next Board of Health meeting, open to the public, convenes at All Aboard Westcliffe, Rosita Avenue, Westcliffe on Thursday, August 21 at 1 p.m. The Board of Health is the Board of County Commissioners convened as the Board of Health.
– W.A. Ewing
