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Wilkes County Health Department reports new provider, two nursing-home flu outbreaks and Medicaid funding warning
Summary
Health department staff reported a new provider hire, two nursing-home flu outbreaks, a growing measles outbreak in neighboring South Carolina, and that Medicaid provider rates were restored Dec. 1 but remain at risk if the state budget is not passed.
Ms. Rachel Willard gave the department update and said a new provider, Regan Parks, started that day; Willard described Parks as a local new graduate who will take roughly six months to reach a full patient schedule. "We did have a new provider start today. Her name is Regan Parks," Willard said.
Willard also briefed the board on communicable-disease and operational issues: she said the measles outbreak in South Carolina had grown from six to 127 confirmed cases, and reported two flu outbreaks at local nursing homes that had opened that day. Willard noted that Governor Stein announced provider rates were restored to 100% as of Dec. 1, but cautioned the board that "if we don't get a state budget passed Medicaid will run out of funds by the end of March." She also reported Environmental Health permitting is slower in winter and that WIC caseloads remain above 100% of capacity.
