(Audubon) The Audubon County Board of Supervisors are expected to act during their next meeting on a jurisdictional sharing agreement with Guthrie County Public Health.
As of July 1st, there were no longer any remaining employees of the Audubon County Public Health Department. Guthrie County Health Services Director Jotham Arber looks for this to be a natural transition. “Guthrie County has been helping and working with Audubon County for many years now in the health realm. Our environmental health services have been combined since the early ’90’s and our home health program, last year we were asked by the Public Health Board to step in and take over the home health piece which we did in July. So a lot of partnerships have been formed.”
Arber says it was the Audubon County Board of Health that approached Guthrie County about a partnership. “Asked us to begin working with the Audubon Hospital to determine a good route for sustainable infrastructure in Audubon County.” Arber adds, “We are at a point now where we have a 28E Agreement drafted and a few things are being worked out, but we are hopeful by Tuesday we are able to sign that agreement. That agreement will allow us to start performing the essential public health services for Audubon County.”
The proposed agreement is for an interim period of six months. “I think the goal is to sustain a partnership that’s sustainable for the long term. We just needed an agreement that would give us time to figure out the nuts and bolts of what is in Audubon and what isn’t in Audubon and what needs to be brought on as far as staff and location and resources.”
The Audubon County Board of Supervisors will meet at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
