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Burke County accepts annual DSS report and quarterly health report; commissioners record 4-0 votes
Summary
Directors presented Department of Social Services 2024 annual statistics and the county health department's quarter report; commissioners accepted each report by voice vote, 4-0, and received details on Medicaid participation, child-protection caseloads and public-health clinic volumes.
Burke County commissioners accepted the Department of Social Services 2024 annual report and the health department's quarterly operational report during the April 7 pre-agenda meeting.
DSS Director Port Fisher Weldon and colleagues summarized 2024 activity: roughly 565 Medicaid applications per month and more than 2,000 monthly Medicaid recertifications; 28,538 county residents received Medicaid in 2024 (about 35% of the county), and the department handled 1,526 child-protection reports with 994 screened-in investigations. Corey (last name not given) reported 236 children experienced foster care during 2024 and the department completed 34 adoptions. Social-services staff described special-assistance and community-alternatives programs intended to keep eligible adults in community settings; the county served 104 people via special assistance at home in 2024 and maintained slots in the Community Alternatives Program (CAP).
The health department's Danny Scalise presented highlights for the last quarter: about 1,200 clinic patient visits across five service lines, WIC participation above USDA benchmarks and steady environmental-health permitting (75 septic permits, 12 well permits issued in the quarter). Scalise said the department completed required accreditation documentation and is coordinating a tri-annual community health assessment with UNC Health Blue Ridge.
Each presentation concluded with a board vote to accept the report. For the DSS report, commissioners voted 4-0 to accept; for the health department report, a motion carried 4-0.
Why it matters: The reports provide the board and public with performance data on Medicaid enrollment, child-protection caseloads, foster-care and adoption work, environmental-health permitting and clinic volumes — information relevant to budgeting and program oversight.
What's next: Departments will continue to track indicators and return to the board as required; no policy actions were taken at the April 7 meeting.
