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Franklin County accepts multiple COVID-19 grants, hires contact tracers and authorizes health contracts
Summary
Franklin County amended its 2020 budget to accept federal and state COVID-19-related grants, authorized a consolidated CHHA contract with Fidelis Care, and approved hiring a contact-tracing team funded by ELC and CARES Act monies.
Franklin County legislators on Sept. 17 approved several measures to expand public-health capacity and accept pandemic-related funding.
The Legislature amended the 2020 budget to appropriate $63,902.48 from the Provider Relief Fund for certified home health agency expenses, and separately accepted a $13,566 supplemental Immunization Action Plan award for expanded influenza outreach. Legislators also updated an earlier authorization to reflect a $6,785 change in an NYS Association of County Health Officials award.
The measures provide immediate spending authority and include a roll-over provision for any unspent funds into 2021. "The Relief Fund monies will be used only to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus," the resolution says, and any unused money will be returned to the Department of Health and Human Services at their request.
The board authorized the County Manager, with County Attorney review, to enter a consolidated contract with Fidelis Care to provide certain Community Home Health Agency services. The authorization was presented by the Human Resources Committee and approved unanimously.
To strengthen case investigations, legislators approved contracts for a Contact Tracer Supervisor and six contact tracers — Ann Morgan, Michael Sinclair, Phyllis Sinclair, Rachael Lopez, Charles VanAnden and Carrie Baker — funded from Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Covid-19 appropriations in the adopted budget.
Additional budget amendments accepted returned or unused grant salary/fringe funds totaling $2,835 across Children with Special Health Care Needs and Early Intervention programs and appropriated those amounts to program expense lines.
Why it matters: The combined measures give county public-health officials immediate authority to expand vaccination outreach, continue home health services for enrollees, and add staff capacity for case investigation and contact tracing during the pandemic.
The Legislature approved the package unanimously; the resolutions specify that unspent funds will be rolled into the 2021 budget or returned if required by the granting agency. The resolutions do not specify the contract terms with Fidelis Care beyond authorization to enter the agreement upon County Attorney review.
