Lake County Standard Wellness District to serve as staffing agency for Geauga Public Wellness – News-Herald

The Geauga Board of Wellness has voted unanimously to enter into a cross-jurisdictional agreement with the Lake County Standard Wellness District to serve as a staffing agency for Geauga Public Wellness.

The agreement will save Geauga County residents as a excellent deal as $600,000 annually in general overall health options costs, though sustaining all the options they at the moment obtain at Geauga Public Wellness, according to a news release.

“This is not a takeover and it is not a merger,” Geauga Public Wellness Board President Richard Piraino stated in the release. “Lake County Standard Wellness District will serve as a staffing agency for Geauga.

“Our agreement with Lake is the excellent way for Geauga to preserve deal with of the general overall health options we provide our residents though saving these residents considerable revenue just about just about every year.”

The agreement demands influence on April 3. Mostly for the reason that Lake County Standard Wellness District will be providing staffing going forward, 17 Geauga Public Wellness workers will be laid off as of March 31. They will be in a position to apply with Lake County Standard Wellness District to give these staffing options, but no 1 unique is assured a position, the release stated.

“We know this is painful for our Geauga Public Wellness workers, and we’re seriously sorry for that. GPH is facing a cost variety shortfall of far more than $500,000 in 2024, and we had to make a fairly difficult selection,” Piraino described in the release. “We have worked diligently to uncover the excellent resolution, and we are having into this agreement to assure we can continue providing the people today currently we serve in Geauga County with the options they want and deserve.”

All Geauga Public Wellness representatives, no matter if GPH workers or contracted Lake workers, will continue functioning on behalf of and at the path of the Geauga Board of Wellness, according to the release. The Geauga Board of Wellness, appointed by elected Geauga officials, will continue to deal with GPH policies, applications and options and will continue to trouble its individual permits, preserve its automobiles, workplace, net website and its identity.

“Geauga residents will continue to go to the related places to obtain the related options,” Piraino stated. “None of that will adjust.”

Mostly for the reason that of the agreement involving the general overall health districts, the combined populations of the two counties will open the possibility to apply for larger grants, which are crucial for funding general overall health departments, unavailable to Geauga or Lake on its individual, the release stated. And the efficiencies that will be gained give rewards to the two general overall health departments and residents of each and every counties.

The constructive elements, according to the Geauga Board of Wellness, involve:

• Gaining access to further applications such as outreach options basically for the reason that of enhanced access to grant funding sources

• Cutting the cost of public general overall health options to residents by funding some current applications by way of qualifying grants

• Sharing specialty personnel, such as in the areas of details evaluation, accreditation, neighborhood demands assessment, emergency preparedness, finance, and grant writing

• Elevated coordination for emergency response and public general overall health emergencies.

“It is clear that we can be stronger collectively and far far more fiscally accountable to Geauga County residents,” Piraino stated.