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Winneshiek County public health recommends $15,610 software purchase amid pertussis cases and staffing changes
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Summary
County public-health staff recommended replacing their expiring charting software with a public-health-specific system that would cost $9,600 annually plus a $6,000 implementation fee (total $15,610 up front), arguing the change will save money over a $36,000 system and improve service reporting; the board gave consensus to proceed pending a budget amendment.
Winneshiek County public-health staff told supervisors they will ask the board next month for a budget amendment to pay for a new charting and client-management system, saying the package would cost $9,600 per year with a $6,000 implementation and training fee for a total start-up cost of $15,610.
"The total amount that we would be requesting for starting in June ... is $15,610," the public health director said, summarizing vendor pricing and training needs. The director said the system is cloud-hosted, supports foot-clinic and loan-closet workflows, and would remove much of the current paper-based work.
The director framed the purchase as a longer-term saving compared with the county's current charting program, which the department said costs about $36,000 a year. "It's future savings, though, so I don't know why we wouldn't do this," the director added.
Supervisors pressed several practical questions: whether smaller vendors or an internally developed Excel solution could replicate required reporting, how many other counties use the proposed packages, and whether shorter contract terms would reduce risk. A county official suggested exploring an internal or shared solution long term, but noted the county's current system expires May 31 and training must occur before that date to avoid service disruption.
Public-health staff also briefed the board on recent disease-control work. The department reported nine confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) cases that generated 62 contact-notifications and said investigators are narrowing treatment to higher-risk contacts to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use. The director said the cases included vaccinated individuals and emphasized typical adult symptoms differ from the classic pediatric "whoop."
Board members reached a consensus to let public health proceed with vendor onboarding and training now while staff prepare a formal budget amendment for the supervisors to consider at the next meeting. The direction is procedural—no formal appropriation was adopted at this session.
The county's public-health website and contact information were shared with supervisors: winneshiekhealth.org, and staff encouraged residents with symptoms or exposure concerns to contact their health provider.
Next steps: staff will draft a budget-amendment request for a future meeting and continue vendor due diligence; the board asked staff to consult IT and consider alternatives before signing multi-year agreements.
