As the need for services and has grown and governmental regulations have increased, Sherburne County Health & Human Services (HHS) has also continued to expand.

 

But now there are issues with not enough supervisors and a lack of experience.

 

At the last county board meeting in February, HHS Director Mary Jo Cobb asked the board to consider adding two management positions.

 

“I’d like to hire an assistant director who is qualified to be the community health services administrator and who can focus on public health requirements,” she said. “And hire a public health nursing Supervisor who can focus on supervision of public health nurses.”

The request comes after continued retirements have changed the HHS department over the past few years.

 

Sherburne County HHS has 13 supervisors. Six currently have less than two years experience at the position. That number will increase again after 35-year veteran Cindy Bayles retired Feb. 24.

 

The issue goes deeper. Last month, Kathy Landwehr, also a 35-year veteran with HHS, retired. She had served as the county’s community health administrator and public health nursing supervisor.

 

Since her retirement, Cobb has filled in as interim administrator, but has been told by the MN Dept. Health that she isn’t qualified to keep the position permanently.

 

Landwehr took over both positions when public health and social services merged in 2010. But the department has continued to expand to the point where Cobb says it will take two people to do the work.

 

“The demands are greater. The rules are tougher,” she said. “We have 175-plus staff and with all the planning that needs to get done, the job has become fairly unmanageable.”

 

Cobb said the county has added staff to cover caseload work. But she has been reluctant to ask for funding for managers. The county’s ratio of supervisors to upper management is 13 to one, which is much higher than similar-sized counties.

Blue Earth County has a director and assistant director with four or five supervisors under each.

 

Carver County has a director and a manager with two to five supervisors reporting to each.

 

Wright County has a director, four managers with between two and seven supervisors.

 

Stearns County has a director, seven division directors and four to five supervisors under each.

 

Cobb said one of the biggest complaints from new staff has been the lack of supervision. 

 

Administrator Steve Taylor agreed. 

 

“What’s happened here is, over time, staff has grown, work units have grown but there’s been hesitancy because of the cost  and effect on the levy to deal with middle management,” he said. “It’s a hard thing to support. But my concern is that staff are just burning out.”

 

If the board approves both positions for a May 1 hire, it could increase the HHS budget by about $23,000 this year and over $91,000 in 2018.

 

The issue will come before the board for discussion and a vote in an upcoming meeting.