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Vernon County Health Director says emergency will end May 11; department notes staffing shortfall
Summary
Health Department Director Amy Kleiber reported the county ramped to more than 25 staff during COVID response (22,724 total hours), that 55–56% of residents are vaccinated, and that the Emergency Declaration will end on May 11; she noted the department currently has nine full‑time staff versus a 23 FTE best-practice model.
Health Department Director Amy Kleiber, RN, presented a COVID‑response overview to the Vernon County Board on April 18, saying the department "ramped up to over 25 staff during the response" and logged 22,724 total hours of work. Kleiber told the Board that "The Emergency Declaration will end on May 11th." She reported that Vernon County is approximately 55–56% vaccinated and that the Health Department administered 6,790 vaccinations.
Kleiber said many Wisconsin health departments face similar challenges recovering after the pandemic and that county public health work must be reassessed to determine which programs should be maintained or revised. She contrasted a best-practice staffing model of 23 FTEs with Vernon County's current nine full‑time staff, noting the department is meeting statutory requirements but that additional resources would be needed for a more robust public‑health program.
