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Burke County accepts DSS 2024 annual report and county health department quarterly report
Summary
Directors from Burke County Social Services and Public Health presented annual and quarterly performance data including Medicaid caseloads, foster-care and child-protection statistics, clinical encounters and environmental health permits; the board voted to accept the reports during the pre-agenda meeting.
Portia Fisher Weilman, director of Burke County Department of Social Services, presented the agency's 2024 annual report at the April 7 pre-agenda meeting and outlined key program statistics that commissioners accepted as presented.
Highlights from the DSS presentation included: the county had about 28,538 Medicaid participants in 2024 (about 35% of the county) and roughly $228 million in claims for those participants; eligibility work averaged about 565 Medicaid applications per month and about 2,000 monthly recertifications; special assistance and CAP (Community Alternatives Program) slots and caseloads were discussed; child-protection units received 1,526 reports in 2024, screened in 994 for investigation, and provided CPS in-home services to 55 families; foster care served 236 children during the year with 38 entries, 58 exits and 34 adoptions; adult protective services accepted 144 reports and the county served as guardian for a subset of wards (66 total wards mentioned, with some slots contracted out to an external provider).
Danny Scalise, health director, presented the health department's quarterly operational report. He reported roughly 1,200 clinic patient encounters during the period, WIC participation and strong WIC redemptions (reported redemptions total around $418,000), environmental health issued about 75 septic and 12 well permits and reduced the on-site permit wait to about four weeks. Scalise said the health department completed accreditation documentation and has strong patient engagement and low clinic wait times.
Commissioners asked no substantive follow-up questions on either report; the board accepted the DSS report and the public-health quarterly report by voice votes (DSS accepted 4-0; health report accepted 4-0).
