Vermilion Co Health Dept to Phase In Cutbacks

Sharp reductions in services and staff at the Vermilion County Health Department will start next week. The cutbacks were announced as the department adjusts to the latest round of budget cuts, due to delays in state funding.

Friday, May 21st, is the last day the Vermilion County Health department will offer three state-funded maternal and child healthcare programs. In fact, it's the last Friday the department will be open at all. Administrator Steve Laker says starting next week, the department will be closed on Fridays, at least until the new county fiscal year begins December 1st.

"We're doing that to minimize expenditures during the remainder of the fiscal year, just to make sure we survive", says Laker. "Really, what we're imposing is a mandatory furlough day on all employees --- all administrative staff, all employees. So it's going to cut their compensation by 20 percent, for real close to six months."

The Vermilion County Health Department will also phase out testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The cutbacks also mean that the Health Department's satellite office in Hoopeston will close. Laker says people who relied on that location will have to come to their Danville office instead. He says the Hoopeston site mainly served people living in the upper third of Vermilion County --- north of US Route 136 and Illinois Route 119.

"So we probably had about 400 clients up there", says Laker. "And they're all going to have to transfer down to (the Health Department's Danville) facility. And we're anticipating transportation difficulties for a number of them, but we don't have any choice."

The Hoopeston satellite facility is slated to close June 30th. By that date, the Vermilion County Health Department's staff will be down to around 30 --- compared to about 74 when the year began. Among those departing will be Laker himself, who's retiring as administrator. The Vermilion County Board of Health has chosen administrative services director Shirley Hicks to take his place.