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Woodland Park official says county health partnership saved lives and cut costs
Summary
A Woodland Park staff member urged continuing a shared-services agreement with County Health Services, saying the county’s COVID response, mobile units and local vaccination site improved outreach and that the contract will save the town more than $300,000.
A Woodland Park staff member urged the town to continue a shared-services agreement with County Health Services, saying the county brought programs and staff that the town could not provide on its own. The speaker said the county’s broader outreach, mobile units and health facilities expanded local access to services and information.
The official described the county’s COVID-19 response as “huge,” saying the county provided near-daily data and helped set up vaccination operations that ensured residents and first responders were vaccinated. “How they handled the setting up of the vaccines … we were pretty much impressed,” the staff member said, adding that the county’s communications let the town get information “right out to our residents.”
The staff member highlighted a local vaccination site the county helped open at Bay County College and said that the county made it “easy for our First Responders to get vaccinated.” The speaker credited "Dr Gung Hill and her staff" with opening the first inoculation site in Woodland Park and said that those efforts “definitely saved lives here in Woodland Park.”
On municipal finances, the speaker argued that shared services reduce costs by allowing municipalities to share salaries, insurance and other resources. They said Bloomingdale’s review of the contract showed "over $300,000 savings" for the town, and that those savings come alongside expanded county programs and faster responses.
Describing the operational transition, the official said the county’s handoff with the town’s previous health provider was "seamless" after the shared service began in January, calling county responses "very efficient". The speaker also said county inspectors now balance resident safety with support for local businesses, noting inspectors are "not here to make things difficult for our businesses" but are strict on safety.
The staff member concluded that the shared-service arrangement — "Everything Under One Roof," in the speaker’s phrasing — both raises service levels and lowers individual municipal costs, and urged the town to continue the partnership. The meeting record shows no formal vote on the arrangement in this transcript.
