Raleigh County approves health‑department reorganization projected to save $660,930

David Adams, director of the Raleigh County Health Department, told commissioners the department’s proposed staffing and service changes would produce a cost savings of “$660,930 from the approved 2026 budget,” asking the board to approve a reorganization that relocates divisions, trims staff through attrition and converts some positions to roles that can be billed.

Elizabeth Ward, the county’s director of human resources, described the review process that informed the proposal and said staff evaluated statutory requirements, grant and fee funding, and community needs before recommending the changes. She and Adams said the plan includes moving multiple divisions into the health‑department main building to enable shared reception and billing processes and to reduce back‑office duplication.

Commissioners pressed officials for details on grant dependencies, billing improvements and program coverage. Officials said clinic processes and billing will be reworked—such as contracting with insurers the county previously had not been enrolled with and standardizing intake and documentation—to increase fee revenue. Adams said the changes would allow the department to keep core services while reducing the county taxpayer contribution.

After extended discussion about hiring an assistant director and the sequencing of changes, the commission voted to approve the proposed reorganization and budget as presented, with one modification: the board agreed to keep the child‑care licensing specialist position funded through June 30, 2027, to match state funding cycles and provide transition time. The resolution approved the restructuring but did not set a final implementation timeline beyond those funding clarifications.

The vote was moved and seconded on the record and carried; commissioners asked staff to return with detailed grant‑by‑grant breakdowns and the finalized job descriptions for recruitment.