Traverse City News and Events

Health Department Understaffed To Handle Outbreaks

Dec. 17, 2014

The Grand Traverse County Health Department will appear before the county board of commissioners tonight to request funding for an additional full-time nurse in the wake of multiple outbreaks that have strained the department's communicable disease resources.

Health officials note that due to "minimal staffing" in the communicable disease program, there is "no sustainable surge capacity for dealing with unusual outbreaks or multiple outbreaks in a short period of time." When outbreaks such as whooping cough or measles occur, staff must be pulled from other programs to handle the crisis, which "reduces the revenue for those programs and has an overall negative effect on budget and services."

There have already been 12 significant outbreaks in 2014 - defined as situations that have significant effects on staff time, such as foodborne illnesses, whooping cough, measles, tuberculosis and others - compared to 7 in 2013. Between November 1 and December 10 this year, 134 communicable diseases were reported to the Health Department - a 91 percent increase over last year's 70 cases in the same reporting period. Department officials note that Michigan mandates the county to perform infectious disease control and immunizations, so staffing has to be redistributed accordingly when outbreaks occur.

The Health Department reduced or cut maternal infant health program visits, school vision and hearing screenings, sexually transmitted disease clinics, Medicaid outreach activities and several other community health programs to handle the recent increase in volume in communicable disease cases. Officials stated they are concerned the trend will continue into the future, since the county's under-vaccination rate is "six times the national average" and population growth in the county continues to result in "steady increase of cases." 

Comment

West End Parking Lot and Eastern Sidewalk, Long Discussed, Set To Move Forward

Read More >>

Squirrel Shuts Down Governmental Center

Read More >>

Rec Authority Seeks Biederman Award Nominees

Read More >>

Garfield Township Approves Ollie’s, Cell Tower; Public Hearing Set for Gauthier Project

Read More >>

Jack Bergman Declines Invite To March 22 Traverse City Town Hall As Local Constituents Pressure Lawmakers For Face Time

Read More >>

Habitat To Hold Open House; Homes Still Available for Occupancy

Read More >>

Northern Michigan Startup Week Returns for 2025

Read More >>

M-72/M-22 Rebuild Set to Begin March 21

Read More >>

Old Mission Updates: Boat Launch, Charter Township, Fire Station

Read More >>

Metiva To Become New Community Foundation CEO

Read More >>

Scott Hardy Appointed to TCAPS Board

Read More >>

County Works to Finalize Camp Greilick Plan, North Sky Eyes Site for New Home

Read More >>

Civic Center Construction Work Starts March 24

Read More >>

Kingsley Man Killed During Home Invasion

Read More >>