County lays off 9 Health & Human Services administrators

County lays off 9 Health & Human Services administrators



By PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 06/03/08

County Administrator Michael Wanchick announced Monday afternoon that nine administrators serving in the county's Health & Human Services department have been laid off and will be paid -- including benefits -- through the end of June.

These cuts will save St. Johns County $600,000 annually, Wanchick said.

According to employees at the Health & Human Services building on U.S. 1 South, all but two of the affected administrators were told Friday that they were losing their jobs. The remaining two were told Monday when they got to their desks.

"This is part of our attempt to have a more focused and efficient county government," Wanchick said. "There was too much redundancy. It wasn't efficient."

Administration has been consolidated in the Community Based Care, Mental Health and Social Services departments.

Employees working in those departments had been wondering for 10 months if the county planned to outsource patient services to a private provider.

"(But) that option was not in the county's best interest," Wanchick said Monday.

Employees who attended meetings outlining the personnel cuts said county representatives said it was either accept these cuts or expect outsourcing. However, county officials could not be reached to confirm or deny that claim.

Wanchick said four additional employees were reassigned from management to client services.

"The state pays 100 percent for service providers. They don't pay administrative costs. That's where our saving comes from," he said.

The county's personnel department will help any laid-off employees find another job, either with the county or in private industry.

Wanchick said reduction of the number of people in administration was their main goal.

"We're not looking at this as a forerunner of lots of layoffs due to Amendment 1," he said. "I don't think you'll see anything comparable to this in any other department."


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