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Board approves grant-funded public health educator position to expand prevention and preparedness programs
Summary
Commissioners approved creation of a grant-funded public health educator position to implement new state grants for emergency preparedness, cannabis education/prevention and foundational public health responsibilities; position is 100% grant-funded and may be laid off if funding ends.
Koochiching County commissioners voted to add a grant-funded public health educator position to the public health team, citing new Minnesota Department of Health grants for emergency preparedness, cannabis education and prevention, and foundational public health responsibilities.
County health staff said the role is necessary to meet grant requirements and to build preventive programs for mental health, substance-use prevention and emergency preparedness. The position will be 100% grant-funded and will not use county levy dollars; county HR staff noted the position would be non-union and could be laid off if grant funding ceases.
"If we didn't get this position, which is no county dollars, this work wouldn't be able to be completed in Koochiching County," a county health official told the board, adding the county could lose the new state funds otherwise. Staff also noted the position could serve as the county point for opioid settlement dollars and would include grant writing in the job description to help sustain the role.
Commissioners asked about liability, sustainability and whether the funds are ongoing; staff said the department expects the funding sources to return annually and emphasized the preventive work saves larger reactionary costs in human services and law enforcement.
The board approved the position by unanimous vote. Staff will proceed with recruitment and bring any additional budget or staffing changes to the board if grant funding changes.
