Health department realignment aims to center children and families; staff concerns and next steps discussed

Tompkins County health leadership described a planned reorganization intended to align department goals with newly selected CHIP priorities and to create clearer divisions of work. "We are looking to create a division that is focused on children and families, predominantly kiddos under 5," Speaker 3 said, adding that the proposed structure is intended to make it easier to meet goals such as increasing prenatal screenings by 5 percent.

Staff said the reorganization has been discussed with affected teams but that implementation is in early stages. Speaker 4 said rollout conversations with staff have begun only recently and acknowledged frustration among some employees as day-to-day work is impacted: "we're in the throes of conversations and hearing some folks out and trying to address some of the outstanding concerns." The proposed new structure would elevate a central office for communications, planning and community engagement and create public-health divisions focused on disease prevention, community wellness and children and families.

Board members pressed on how the department will avoid siloing services and how partner programs (for example, housing-related work) will be integrated. Staff said community partners will own some program areas while county teams will focus on interventions the county can credibly deliver and measure.

The board asked staff to continue staff engagement and to provide clearer materials for review at the next meeting. The commissioner's packet included a staff-summary document from a December facilitated session that informed the planning process.

Provenance: relevant remarks appear from SEG 431 through SEG 575.