Health Board Reports

Health Department Report for April 27, 2011

Susan Kufahl, Assistant Administrator presented a color coded

financial report that attempted to illustrate more clearly for the Board how the

funding from various entities, i.e. State, Federal, City and County and the many

grants which the Department depends on to fund many of the programs offered

by the Health Department. In the past various Board members have indicated

difficulty understanding why a standard monthly financial statement is not really

feasible because of the many differing dates when funding comes in and the many

differing requirements of grant funding such as matching funds. Brady Burton, president

of the Board thanked Ms. Kufahl and the finance department for this effort and

stated it was very useful.

Debby Nuss, chair of the committee working on the tool for the search for a

replacement for Charles Murphy, Health Department Administrator, who will retire

in December, 2011, presented a “draft” of a plan and initiated a discussion of how the

Board wants to proceed. The decision was to gather responses from the members of

the Board and to present a second draft at the next Board meeting and to decide then

on how the Board wishes to proceed.

Adopting the Proposed Budget for 2012 was put off until the next meeting allowing

time for the board members to study it. It was decided to send it on to the City and County

as the deadline for submitting it had passed noting that it had not yet been passed by the Board.

The ongoing discussion of allowing the Health Department to accept Medicaid

patients at their clinic. but not including children since all the Pediatricians in Manhattan

have indicated that they accept all Medicaid patients, was tabled until August when the

Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Junction City may be granted expansion

which would provide for more medicaid access. Charles Murphy noted that Riley County’s

ration of primary care providers is 889:1. The national benchmark is 631:1 and that the number

of uninsured adults in Manhattan is around 25% versus a Kansas average of 16%.

The Board approved contracting with Varney Associates for the annual audit as

well as approving The Healthy Families America contract.

The Board had requested that Pat Collins, Riley County Emergency Planner,

who was unable to be present, still be requested to come and provide information to the Board.

Karen McCulloh also requested that presentations from the department”s staff be continued

to help the Board to understand the workings of the Department.

Finally, a discussion of the Riley County Health Rankings indicated that the main

problem is binge drinking but that the County fared quite well on other health assessments.

Submitted by Sue Cohen