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Therapists cite oversight concerns; county residents ask Alger County commissioners to review health-board appointees
Summary
Two licensed clinicians told the Alger County Board of Commissioners that several child therapists left regional services amid alleged directives inconsistent with professional standards and asked the board to reassess its appointees to the board of health to protect children's access to evidence-based care.
Melissa Carlson, a licensed mental health therapist and long-time Alger County resident, urged the Alger County Board of Commissioners to evaluate whether current county appointees to the regional board of health are effectively representing community health needs. "Please evaluate whether the current appointees are effectively fulfilling their responsibility to represent the health interests of this community," Carlson told commissioners during public comment.
Wendy Young, a licensed clinical therapist and regional clinical lead, said five of seven therapists who served the region for the LMS district health department left their posts last year. Young said departures followed directives she described as inconsistent with professional standards and argued the board of health and county commissioners should probe oversight failures. "Who in Alger County is looking out for the children?" Young asked, pressing the board to treat clinician concerns as a prompt for inquiry rather than a formality.
Commissioners responded with questions about the reasons clinicians left and offered to gather contact information, raise pointed questions with the regional board, or hold a special meeting to pursue the matter. Several speakers noted that formal oversight stretches across four counties, limiting a single county's authority; commissioners framed next steps as gathering information and pursuing escalation where appropriate.
