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 centers on whether nurses with associate degrees (ADN) should be required to hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to keep working in equivalent roles under the health department. Nurses and their union said the county’s proposed implementation would cut experienced staff, disrupt continuity of care for a high-need juvenile population and had been handled with insufficient notice.

What speakers said

Marvin Vaughn, an Oakland County Children’s Village employee and president of the Michigan Association of Public Employees (MAPE) local representing the nurses, told the committee that staff were told their positions would be “discontinued as of July 11” and that affected nurses were being asked to reapply into different classifications. Vaughn asked commissioners to “dig deep” into the rationale and the process.

Several Children’s Village nurses described long experience working with the clinic’s residents and disputed the stated reasons for the reassignment. Tracy Cheuning, a full-time registered nurse at Children’s Village, challenged two rationales she said were offered to staff: achieving ANCC Magnet recognition and requiring BSN degrees. “An ADN nurse and a BSN nurse have the exact same scope of practice,” Cheuning said, and noted the unit had no licensing violations. She and other nurses cited clinical outcomes and years of institutional knowledge as evidence of the team’s competency.

Christopher Belling, a business agent for MAPE, said the proposal appeared “very hasty” and questioned how the county would fill up to 19 positions if existing nurses were let go and had to reapply. Several speakers suggested alternatives such as grandfathering current staff or funding degree completion.

Administration response and proposed mitigations

Health officials said the move was intended to maintain clinical oversight after Honor Community Health’s grant-funded medical supervision ended. Madhia Tarek said Honor Community Health’s contract and grant were sunsetting and that the county needed to ensure continuous medical direction.

Diane (last name not specified), a health division staff member, described operational steps the department would take after positions are moved: interviewing current staff, placing selected nurses into Health and Human Services roles, and offering training and weekly educational opportunities. The health division also proposed giving nurses 18 months to complete a BSN if that credential is required for the new classification. "We are going to give them 18 months to complete that degree," the health staff member said.

Commissioners’ concerns and next steps

Several commissioners urged protection for current employees. Commissioner Eric Hoffman urged that existing staff be "grandfathered in" and not required to reapply. Other commissioners asked HR to confirm whether transfer without reapplication was possible and whether tuition support would cover BSN completion costs. Commissioner questions also noted a broader funding issue: several speakers observed that the county’s public health services had been dependent on outside grants and urged more stable local funding.

The committee considered an amendment to the reassignment motion that would have transferred the present 19 employees into Health and Human Services without requiring them to reapply. The amendment failed on a 3–3 tie. After further discussion, the committee voted 6–0 to postpone the item and obtain additional information, including HR guidance on transfer procedures, clarity on which positions would be created or changed, the timeline and an estimate of training and tuition supports. The committee scheduled a special committee meeting for March 18 at 8:30 a.m. to receive those details before the item returns to the board calendar.

Ending

Because Honor Community Health’s grant-funded medical oversight has ended, committee members emphasized the need to avoid a gap in clinical supervision during the interim. The decision to postpone means the county will collect HR and finance details and return for a reported discussion at the March 18 special committee meeting, where commissioners said they expect answers on transfer mechanics, credential timelines and measures to avoid service disruption.