Committee calls for new discussions between health agencies

URBANA – An ongoing dispute over budgets, services and priorities threatens to end the 11-year relationship between the Champaign County Board of Health and the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

A county board committee voted Wednesday to approve a "notice of termination" of the agreement between the two health agencies. The notice, which will go to the full county board later this month, does not mean an immediate split between the agencies, only that they have 12 months to negotiate a new intergovernmental agreement.

Currently the county health district contracts with the Champaign-Urbana health district to provide administration (at a cost of $147,843) and professional services.

"As the agreement is currently written, it is not possible for us to meet our obligation as a county public health department responsible for our jurisdiction," said Julian Rappaport, president of the county board of health. "It's our intent to use these 12 months to negotiate a new contract."

Rappaport said the county board of health has hired Bob Keller of McLean County, the former president of the Illinois Public Health Association, to serve as a consultant for negotiating a new contract and "providing us with optional recommendations for a permanent Champaign County health department if this becomes necessary." A $7,500 budget line item has been established to pay him.

One option, he added, could be aligning with a health department in a nearby county.

In recent months, Rappaport said, the two health agencies have become entangled in a dispute over administrative payments from the county health department to the Champaign-Urbana health department, as well as differences over programs and priorities.

"They have completely shut us out from having any ability on the policies for the delivery of services to the county," he said. "We have no capacity to evaluate the administrator. We're essentially presented with requests for payments, and we either take them or we leave them."

Further, he charged, the Champaign-Urbana health district staff "does not regard us as a board that they need to respond to."

Julie Pryde, administrator of the public health district, called Rappaport's assertions "ridiculous."

"I am the most open person that you're ever going to get," she said. "I am always available to answer questions. They can come over here any time they want. But they have not been over here to even know what we do."

Pryde said the county board of health is "getting amazing, high-quality services for really not much money. The thing is, it's because sometimes we are getting double money for both districts. I think it's a great setup."

She said she would not want to see the two agencies separate. "It would bother me because we really do care what's going on out in the county and I think we do a fabulous job," she said.

Stan James of Rantoul, a member of the county board of health as well as a member of the county board, said he prefers the current arrangement and doesn't want to divorce from the Champaign-Urbana health district.

"If we go outside the county, just think of the extra travel time and all of those costs," he said. He said he believes Pryde "does a good job."

James said Pryde instituted changes that more accurately reflect the cost of services. "They're having true costs now," he said. "Before we were actually getting subsidized with (Champaign-Urbana) taxes. I can't believe someone didn't scream about that."

The county health district has a 2.5-cent per $100 tax rate. The Champaign-Urbana health district has a 13-cent tax rate.

"We've got to focus on what we can get done," he said. "We can't do all the things the Champaign-Urbana district does."

Cheryl Ramirez of Urbana, another county board of health member, said she wants to see the two agencies stay together but said the smaller department needs more autonomy.

"We want to work with CUPHD, but under the current contract, we're not able to function as we think we should," she said. "We're happy to have the CUPHD services we have and we don't want to take core services away. But we want to be involved in the planning and the priorities for public health."

Ideally, Ramirez said, there would be a full merger of the two agencies so that they provided the same services at the same tax rate.

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• Obituaries

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