Oakland County committee postpones vote on moving Children’s Village clinic after nurses and union object

At a meeting of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners committee, members postponed action on a proposal to reassign Children’s Village medical clinic operations from Public Services to Health and Human Services after extended public comment from clinic nurses, union representatives and community members.

The reassignment would move the clinic’s clinical team and medical oversight into the county health department, a change administration says is intended to maintain continuity of clinical direction after an outside partner’s grant ended. Supporters of the move, including Deputy County Executive Madhia Tarek, said the shift would centralize clinical supervision and preserve continuity of care.

Madhia Tarek, deputy county executive, said the transition was prompted by the end of a contract and grant that provided medical direction. “We need to continue to provide the same care and we need to make it happen without this grant,” Tarek said, adding that the county had already hired a nurse practitioner to help maintain continuity. Leanne Stafford, director of health and human services, told commissioners the health division would provide clinical oversight, laboratory and training supports and could connect children to community public-health resources after they leave Children’s Village.

Why it matters

The proposal directly affects roughly 19 clinical positions at Children’s Village and…