Larimer County reviews 2024 performance measures for human and economic health

Larimer County commissioners heard a one-hour update Aug. 13 on 2024 performance measures for the county’s human and economic health services, including child welfare and child support, public health indicators and immunizations, extension and agriculture programs, economic and workforce outcomes, and behavioral-health metrics tied to the Longview acute behavioral health facility.

The presentations, led by county program managers and department directors, summarized each department’s key indicators for 2024 and identified items staff will track or return to the Board for additional information. Laura Walker, director of human and economic health, described the session as a “snapshot” of wider program activity and thanked staff for compiling the measures.

Human services director Heather O’Hare reported on federally tracked child welfare and child support measures. O’Hare said the county’s reinvolvement measure — the share of children who return to the child-welfare system within six months of case closure — was 98% for 2024, near the federal 97% goal. She said the percentage of children served who remained in their family home during involvement declined to 83%, citing increases in case severity such as substance use and domestic violence and rising costs for in‑home services. For children who returned home from out‑of‑home placements, O’Hare said 95% did not reenter care within 12 months. On child support, she said the county collected roughly $19,000,000 in 2024 and that the share of cases with a current collection…