CLAYTON — ºüÀêÊÓƵ County is considering cutting 26 health department positions, including 16 layoffs, as part of an administrative shakeup planned for next year.
Health director Dr. Kanika Cunningham said the cuts are from administrative offices, which include communications and information technology staff, as well as employees who do long-term strategic planning and grant-writing.
No clinical staff positions, such as nurses or people who directly serve the public, would be eliminated, Cunningham said at a budget hearing Tuesday.
She said it was part of a department reorganization, and comes on the heels of her creating two new leadership positions — a director of administration and a diversity director — and hiring three new leaders this year, including a director of clinical services, a new chief of medical services at the jail, and a CEO who will spearhead efforts to qualify for more federal funding.
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“The reason I feel we need to reorganize is so that we can focus equally on our public health, our clinics, as well as just the overall functioning of the health department with having the three strong leaders in place,†said Cunningham, who started her job in January.
But the health department originally suggested only eliminating 10 vacant positions, according to county budget Director Paul Kreidler. County Executive Sam Page then suggested the department also lay off 16 employees in his .
A spokesman for Page didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The health department is running a deficit. By 2028, without any changes, it will have used up all its savings.
The 16 layoffs will save the department $1.6 million, according to the budget director.
The budget office was still calculating how much the vacant positions are worth, but the health department estimates cutting them would save an additional $1 million.
Eliminating the jobs will help offset a roughly $4 million requested budget increase for next year — to $85 million from about $81 million this year. The increase accommodates rising personnel and medical supply costs, Cunningham said.
Because potential layoffs include discussing sensitive personnel issues, the county’s attorney recommended the council avoid discussing specific positions during the public hearing Tuesday.
But the County Council still has to approve the health department’s request before it’s official, and some of the councilmembers are staunch defenders of public health.
Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, a Democrat from Maplewood, said she wanted more information on the positions that would be eliminated before she makes a decision.
“I would like to see the fine print and understand what the impact is going to be,†Clancy said.
Republican Councilman Dennis Hancock of Fenton praised the health department’s cost-cutting move.
“I would encourage other departments to do the same thing,†Hancock said.
The health department cuts would not help ºüÀêÊÓƵ County’s budget deficit in its general fund, which it uses to pay for most expenses — the health department is not part of the general fund.
The COVID-19 pandemic thrust the county health department into the spotlight as it advised county leaders on policies to limit the virus’ spread. The agency was tasked with testing and contact tracing, and with launching a vaccination campaign.
The added strain came on top of the department’s existing responsibilities, including animal care and control, restaurant inspections, handling birth and death records, and investigating suspicious deaths.
Though the pandemic expenses have decreased, the cost of the health care business has not. The budget for 2019 was $54 million, or about $31 million less than the requested budget for next year.
Medical workers are scarce, so the county relies on costly temporary staffing contracts. The and supplies has also steadily increased since the pandemic, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Clancy asked if the jobs that would be eliminated were created during the pandemic. Cunningham said she didn’t know.
But any of the eliminated positions could eventually be reopened with council approval.