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Marion County officials weigh Stateproposal to designate public health Lead Entities
Summary
Marion County public health director briefed supervisors on a State plan to create Public Health Lead Entities and an upcoming RFP; board members raised concerns about potential county liability and said the Board of Health will review the proposal before any county commitment.
Linsey Spoelstra, Marion County public health director, told the Board of Supervisors on June 9 that the State of Iowa is proposing a Public Health System Alignment that would designate lead entities in each district and change how public health services are provided.
The presentation outlined that the State plans to issue a request for proposals this summer to designate Lead Entities. Spoelstra said the restructuring could affect county service delivery, employee roles, funding streams and liability. She said she would review the RFP and consider submitting an application to be a Lead Entity.
Board Chair Kisha Jahner said she was apprehensive about the county accepting liability tied to the new structure. The board then voted to close discussion on the matter (motion by Supervisor Steve McCombs; seconded by Supervisor Jim Mueller), leaving the issue for further consideration by the Board of Health and future agenda review.
Why it matters: shifting to regionally designated Lead Entities could change who delivers local public health services and how counties participate financially and legally. The county has not committed to applying and will await the formal RFP and additional Board of Health discussion.
What happens next: Spoelstra said an RFP will be available later this summer; the Board of Health will discuss the reorganization and the RFP at a future meeting. The board took no formal action to apply at this meeting.
