By Zach Jensen,
Winneshiek County is considering how to care for a dozen residents who reportedly require home health services through Winneshiek County Public Health.
WCPH Administrator Krista Vanden Brink met with the county’s board of supervisors Monday morning to answer questions previously raised at the Feb. 17 supervisors’ meeting — during which board co-chair Mark Vick said approximately $225,000 was being spent by WCPH on “about 14” home health clients.
Vanden Brink said Monday that 12 county residents need home health services not provided by other counties, agencies or hospitals. Supervisor Steve Kelsay asked if surrounding counties classify homemaking services as public health services.
“Our surrounding counties don’t have homemaking services,” Vanden Brink replied. “But, I will tell you that other counties that have become decertified, like us, also provide some homemaking services, and they also do medication assistance. We don’t have those services in the surrounding counties, because they’re all certified.”
Kelsay said that, when WCPH provides services in private situations, it’s not considered public health, according to what he’s read in the Iowa Code.
Vanden Brink told the board the county can’t simply drop the individuals’ services.
“That’s abandonment,” she said. “There is not another agency that’s going to pick up these people. It doesn’t exist. So, how do you take care of them? It’s going to cost us way more money in the long run if they’re not being seen, then they get hospitalized and they end up in a long-term care facility. So, it will cost a lot more money (and) take a lot more resources … to provide services for these people.”
Kelsay said he feels the state law needs to change rather than leave Winneshiek County taxpayers paying to care for those 14 individuals at their homes.
Full article available here in the February 27 Decorah Leader.
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Housekeeping for $225,000?
Getting dropped from WCPH homemaking was a blessing in disguise. I’m a disabled vet; but with some VA movement training, I was eventually able to do more for myself.
But not everything. I have a tremor, don’t bend well, am easily fatigued and need a cane. So now I pay a caring, helpful lady from our community weekly to bring my trash down the front stairs, carry clean laundry up those stairs, wash kitchen knives and reach things that fell during the week. Cost? About $30 a week.
Why would the county pay a government employee to clean a house when an everyday citizen could work a few easy hours? Maybe we should give each of the dozen patients a stipend of a couple thousand dollars per year. The elderly would then have a choice who to work with; maybe they need bathed, or pills set, once per week. Or they need daily help in the bathroom. Some might get $4,000. But whatever help we disabled people need shouldn’t cost a quarter million dollars per dozen of us!
Government departments can be pricey. Public Health has a director, nurses and receptionists. All helpful. But are we still paying for a “director” of home health? For 12 residents? “Supervising” what, three or four employees? I hope not.
I see our maintenance and road crews always working hard; I have been impressed with our sheriff’s office and the clerical staff in the courthouse offices. The difference is, those employees benefit us all.
There’s a point when the number of people needing help has been so reduced, another solution should be found. My home helper is very compassionate — and cost effective. Perhaps we’re better off paying good quality part-time “private contractors” to take over homecare?
I don’t claim to have all the answers. But through the clear reporting of the Decorah Leader, I can see the current model isn’t working. As long as we see they truly care about our residents with special needs, we can be glad the county supervisors are looking into this. They seem to keep in mind they’re spending taxpayer money.