Pay raises approved for county health employees, workload increases cited

By Buck Collier, Special Correspondent
Posted 1/29/20

Staff of the Gasconade County Health Department, working shorthanded for some time now, will be receiving a 3.35-percent pay raise this year, thanks to an operating budget approved Monday morning by …

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Pay raises approved for county health employees, workload increases cited

Posted

Staff of the Gasconade County Health Department, working shorthanded for some time now, will be receiving a 3.35-percent pay raise this year, thanks to an operating budget approved Monday morning by the agency’s Board of Trustees.

Administrator Greg Lara during the board’s regular monthly session Jan. 27 praised the work of the staff and noted increases in the use of several services offered at the main location in Hermann and the satellite offices in Owensville. There are six members of the department staff with a seventh position now vacant.

Real ID law creates need for documents

One of those services Lara addressed is the increase in requests of birth certificates.

The demand for birth certificates is on the rise by Gasconade countians looking to renew their driver’s license. Missouri recently fell in line with federal requirements under the Real ID law, which calls for a specially-marked driver’s license to allow access to airline flights and entry into federal government buildings.

Those requirements take effect in October.

One of the several documents needed to obtain the Real ID license is a stamped birth certificate, which is obtained from state government through local health departments.

“We’re getting a lot more (requests for vital records) with the Real ID” law, Lara told the trustees.

There also has been an increase in flu vaccinations being provided by the health agency and ongoing work with such programs as WIC (Women, Infants and Children) and other public-health services, he noted.

Trustee Glen Duncan of Owensville fully supported the proposed pay raise for department employees.

“I feel that if we can do that, we do it…because some years we might not be able to do it,” he said.

The department is funded primarily with a mill tax, which amounts to less than 10 cents per $100 assessed valuation. That tax is projected to bring in about $217,000 this year. The agency also receives revenue from fees charged for the various services.

However, Lara pointed out that services will not be denied if a resident can’t afford to pay. “We won’t turn away anyone,” he said.

Administrative Assistant Darla Schutt gave the example of a mother who brought her children to the department for flu shots but realized she didn’t have enough money on her to pay the fee to have everyone vaccinated. That caused her to worry which child would not receive the vaccine. Schutt said arrangements were made and everyone received the vaccine.

Through November, many more flu shots were given at the Hermann location than at the Owensville site. According to an 11-month breakdown of services (December figures were not readily available) reported to the board Monday morning, there were 463 flu shots provided in Hermann and 96 provided at the department’s Owensville location.

Birth certificate requests

Regarding the requests for vital records, the report shows many more being obtained through the Hermann office than the Owensville site. Birth certificates obtained through the Hermann office totaled 275 with death certificates totaling 923. At the Owensville office, there were 179 birth certificates and 348 death certificates obtained.

Vital records is one service that is profitable for the county health agency. Clients are charged $13 for a birth or death certificate while the county is assessed a 20-cent fee for each certificate provided by the state.

The agency last year took in about $22,000 from vital records, Lara said. “We could see that increase,” he said, referring to more requests as the calendar moves closer to October and the start of the Real ID restrictions.