HHCC may be split into board of directors, Wellness Coalition

Healthy Henry County Communities may be split into a board of directors and a Wellness Coalition, and Public Health is creating a new position of community health promotion coordinator after it was discovered that Kelly Carr as the director of HHCC could not also be employed at Public Health and paid with county tax dollars.

Questions about the future of Healthy Henry County Communities (HHCC) arose in October 2018 after Henry County officials were advised by the state auditor that paying the director of a nonprofit with county dollars is a violation of the Iowa Constitution.

During a Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 15, the board voted to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between themselves and HHCC that was signed in January 2018 that allowed Carr to work as both HHCC director and Public Health employee. This gives HHCC 90 days to make decisions about how they want to reorganize and Public Health enough time to approve a job description for the new position of community health promotion coordinator that Carr will take on.

The MOU was signed by the Board of Health and HHCC in January 2018 in preparation for Public Health to become a county department on July 1, 2018. The agreement between the Board of Health and HHCC will be officially terminated on April 15.

There will no longer be a paid director for HHCC.

Based on recommendations ftom the task force, which met in December 2018 and Jan. 2, Carr proposed HHCC be broken up into a HHCC board of directors and an HHCC Wellness Coalition that would continue the work HHCC is doing now.

The HHCC board of directors would meet at least once a year to keep HHCC's 501(c)3 status. With this structure, there would no longer be an overarching paid director position for HHCC. Carr will not sit on the board of directors.

The HHCC board of directors would be a small governing board that would be responsible for managing existing funding. The board of directors would be volunteers tasked with applying for grants and doing other activities outside of Public Health's parameters.

HHCC will have to draft and approve new bylaws to implement these changes, Carr said.

The HHCC Wellness Coalition will work on behalf of Public Health under the leadership of the community health promotion coordinator who will facilitate coalition meetings and act as a liaison for the Board of Health. The Board of Health would approve any master plans, funding requests and receive regular progress updates from the HHCC Wellness Coalition.

The HHCC Wellness Coalition will focus on promoting healthy living, using the Iowa Department of Public Health tactics of 'eat well,” 'move more,” and 'feel better.” There are no bylaws or fiscal policies.

The Henry County Substance Abuse Coalition and the Henry County Child Advocacy Council will no longer fall under HHCC's umbrella, as they are also county coalitions.

Carr also presented the Board of Health with a preliminary job description for her new role under Public Health as the community health promotion coordinator.

The community health promotion coordinator's role would be to assess the need for, plan for and coordinate the implementation of community health programs, services and activities based on Public Health's strategic plan and health need priorities.

They would provide professional leadership in growing the local community health initiative to address the health needs in Henry County as well as foster the development of new programs and expansion of existing programs to improve the physical and social health of the community.

Essential responsibilities include collaborating with other agencies, businesses, schools, local health care facilities and the public to implement community health promotion services; monitor grants and other funding sources and ensure compliance with funding requirements; manage grant administration; and provides marketing support to other Public Health programs.

The community health promotion coordinator would report to the Public Health director.

Carr included 'prohibited duties” in the job description of the community health promotion coordinator. Those include convening and preparing materials for or leading the HHCC board of directors; preparing financial transactions or reports for activities of the HHCC board of directors; and writing grants for the HHCC board of directors.

As the director of HHCC, Carr has also provided marketing support to Public Health, Public Health Director Shelley Van Dorin said.

'She is our marketing department. She thinks out of the box and gives our whole office perspective,” Van Dorin said.

The position of community health promotion coordinator has yet to be approved by the Board of Health. If it is approved by the Board of Health, it will then be taken to county supervisors for approval.

Decisions about how HHCC will be organized will be left to the current HHCC board. Their next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 5. at 1 p.m.